Spirited Away II: Return to the Spirit Realm
by SAK00
Summary: Takes place eight years after the events of "Spirited Away." Chihiro has Immune disorder, and because of her health issues and getting sick so easily, she is quarantined from people. Just when Chihiro thinks that nothing in her life will ever change, an unexpected visitor, an unexpected turn of events, and an unexpected adventure tips her world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

Chihiro looked out her bedroom window wistfully, watching the rain hit the glass. The weather matched her feelings - gloomy.

"Chihiro, dear," Mrs. Ogino called softly. "I brought you some cocoa."

Chihiro turned around, smiling so big that it hurt. She always enjoyed her mother's friendly company - but cocoa made it all the better. Mrs. Ogino smiled faintly in return as she set the mug of cocoa on the nightstand next to Chihiro. Mrs. Ogino was the only person Chihiro told of her adventures in the Spirit World; and, much to the girl's surprise, Mrs. Ogino believed her. Chihiro always thought that it was because her mother could not think of a logical explanation as to how come the car was covered in vines, and there was a huge time span of days when it seemed mere minutes during the move eight years ago.

"Dear, I want to tell you something."

Chihiro looked over the brim of her cup, nodding slightly.

"This Haku, you told me of ... he is the spirit of the Kohaku River, correct?"

Chihiro nodded.

"Well, I want to tell you this. I know he saved you that day..." Mrs. Ogino shuddered at the unkind memory, referring to when Chihiro almost drowned in the Kohaku River when she was small, "and that he saved all of us eight years ago, but you have to move on."

Chihiro put the mug back on the nightstand, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Ogino sighed. "You obviously developed feelings for that boy," she said. "You rejected everybody who came to you. Even if you are not sure why, I know why. Do you understand now what I mean by, 'move on'?"

Chihiro gulped the lump in her throat. "Mom ... so you basically want me to, what, get married?" Before Mrs. Ogino could answer, Chihiro spoke again. "Now that you mention any 'feelings', it makes sense ... but as they say that you cannot command the heart, I won't be able to be with anybody else; even if I wanted to. It will be forced. And who am I to be with, even if I decided to move on? There are beautiful, healthy girls out there, mom. Nobody will notice me. I am not even going to school because of my Immune disorder! I'm homeschooled -!"

"Chihiro, calm down," Mrs. Ogino snapped. She sighed. "You know I simply want the best for you. I would have given up my life if it means you would have a normal life in return. Get a hold of this: you live once, live that life. What if you wait another eight years for that boy to come to you? What if he meant something completely different by that promise?"

Chihiro was silent, sipping her cocoa cautiously. Mrs. Ogino stood up with a tired sigh.

"Think about what I said."

Chihiro turned to acknowledge Mrs. Ogino, but the lady left. As soon as Chihiro was sure that nobody would hear her, she broke down into heart wrenching sobs. She looked up at the dark gray sky, hoping, as she did all those years, to see a familiar dragon soaring the skies. But only dark clouds and rain met her eye, and she lowered her head in defeat.

Chihiro knew her mother was right. She couldn't spend the rest of her life waiting for Haku to come back to her! What if he did mean something different by that promise?

_But you cannot command the heart!_

Chihiro shook her thoughts, saving them for another day. It was a shame, really, that Chihiro's life turned out to be that way. The girl saw it a blessing that Mrs. Ogino believed her. She needed to let out all of those emotions her heart was brimming with! But in some ways, even Mrs. Ogino did not understand. Chihiro knew that waiting as patiently as she did could be foolish; especially if it came down that Chihiro misunderstood Haku's promise.

Mrs. Ogino scrubbed at the porcelain dirty dishes in the sink. Mr. Ogino already went to sleep, exhausted after the day's long work. With a sigh, the lady put the clean dishes in the dishwasher. To be honest, Mrs. Ogino was grateful but also felt bitter anger towards this "Haku." She was grateful that the river spirit saved her daughter's life twice (not to mention that she and her husband could be pork), but also angry for all the pain he caused her daughter. Mrs. Ogino could hear Chihiro's faint cries and sobs when she slept.

She knew why her daughter cried out so painfully.

Mrs. Ogino washed the last dish and went to look at the pouring rain from the window. With time, the rain ceased, and the moon broke through the thick clouds. The stars twinkled in the night, making the lady smile. "Kohaku River," she whispered carefully, "if you can, come back for my daughter. She's miserable, and I think you can know why."

**So, how do you like the first chapter of my new story? By the way, this is my first Fan Fiction! Reviews will be appreciated. I'll try to update soon. **


	2. Chapter 2

"There, there, Yuuko!" Mrs. Nakamura's voice was shrill from the phone. "Everything will be all right. You'll see!"

"Yes, but I don't want for Chihiro to be waiting for somebody she had a ..."

"...Crush on during the move, I know." Mrs. Nakamura sighed. "Give the girl some time. She's only 18! Let me tell you, Yuuko, once she meets that 'special person' in her life, she'll forget all about him. He moved on, too. I'm certain of it."

"I guess you're right. Thanks, Akane," Mrs. Ogino replied, though not a bit convinced that Chihiro would forget this "Haku" and stop waiting for him.

"'Course, dear! Now, how about you come tomorrow over for tea? 3 o'clock sharp!"

"Well, I..." Mrs. Ogino tried to think of an excuse, but as usual, failed. "All right."

"See you there!" Mrs. Nakamura cried before hanging the phone. Mrs. Ogino slowly put the phone down, shaking her head. "What can I do about it?" she mused. "I will simply have to wait and give her some time. Perhaps..."

The shrill ring of the door bell interrupted Mrs. Ogino's thoughts. Sighing, she went to the door and opened it. There, at the doorstep, stood a young man roughly twenty years old. He had large, almond-shaped green eyes, dark hair, and was dressed in clothing which looked like from some other era.

"Yes?"

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Haku. Does Chihiro live here?"

"I am Chihiro's mother. Yes, of course she lives here. Chihiro ... told me about you. Do come in."

Haku was surprised, to say the least, that Chihiro would tell anybody of him; but nodded politely and followed the lady to the front room. "Would you like to have something to drink?"

"No thank you, ma'am."

Mrs. Ogino nodded. "Before I get my daughter, there's a thing or two I'd like to get it straight. Now, my daughter has told me of the Spirit World. Can you tell me _exactly _what happened?"

So, Haku summarized the story of how everything happened - from the moment he found Chihiro on the bridge to the farewell and promise. Mrs. Ogino went deathly pale. Though she would have hated to think her child lied, there was a part of her that hoped that all of this fantasies wasn't real. But, how sincerely Haku spoke and how his eyes seemed to shine with determination, she could tell that he wasn't lying.

"Thank you for helping us out," Mrs. Ogino stammered, standing up. "I'll go get Chihiro."

Haku watched as the lady walked over to the stairs and shouted, "Chihiro! Come down now please, there's somebody to see you!"

"Coming, mother!" a wonderfully familiar voice cried out in reply, which was followed by the running steps down the stairs. Chihiro looked up from her feet to acknowledge her visitor, but froze in her tracks when she recognized who it was.

Mrs. Ogino frowned with worry. She expected Chihiro to be joyous, but she looked more stressed than anything else. Chihiro paled, grabbed the banistairs for support, her eyes brimming with tears. With a face that clearly said she did not dare hope, Chihiro slowly turned to her mother, silently asking the question "is it who I think it is?"

Haku rushed to the stairs, stopping at the base of it. "Hello, Chihiro," he greeted. Chihiro slowly walked down the stairs. For a while, the two just stood there, before Haku pulled the girl in for a tight embrace.

"Excuse me," Mrs. Ogino said, "but there's something I have to take care of right away. I'll leave now." She winked at Chihiro. "I bet you two want some time together!"

Chihiro's blush on her cheeks deepened. "Mom-!" she cried, but Mrs. Ogino already disappeared up the stairs.

**I know, it was short ... I'll try to update later today or tomorrow, at the latest. In the mean time, leave me a review and tell me what you think! :) I will appreciate any advice you can give me, see you all later!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chihiro emerged from the kitchen, carrying two mugs of hot tea in her hands. "So," she began, handing one of them to Haku, "tell me everything!"

"All right. Well, thanks to you, I was able to quit being Yubaba's apprentice. No-Face and Zeniba are doing very well together. Everyone else is about the same. Everybody misses you." Haku took a sip of tea. "How are you?"

Chihiro frowned. Her life, as I already mentioned before, was plain because she was quaratined - locked up from basically all the world - to keep herself healthy. "W-well, fine, I guess."

Haku arched his eyebrows. "'I guess'? Chihiro, is there something wrong?"

Chihiro tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "No, nothing wrong," she lied, smiling.

"I'm home!" a loud voice cried, following by the sounds of keys hitting each other.

"Wait here," Chihiro whispered to Haku and ran for the door. Mrs. Ogino descended the stairs, looking equally as worried. "Mom? What to do?"

"We'll have to tell your father the truth," Mrs. Ogino sighed. "For now, go sit with Haku. If anything, I'll take the blame."

"But mo-!"

Chihiro had to step back to avoid getting hit by the door as it swung open. A very merry Mr. Ogino stood at the doorstep, as he outstretched his arms, grinning. "Why the long faces?" he inquired, cheerfully. "Today's payday! Remember?" He hugged Chihiro and Mrs. Ogino. _"So, _how are my two favorite persons in the world?"

Chihiro watched, out of the corner of her eye, as Mrs. Ogino tried to look cheerful and smiled broadly at her husband. "That's wonderful, honey," she cooed. "How are _you?" _

"Payday!" the man repeated. Chihiro sighed in exasporation - her father was so taken with the fact that he received his monthly salary that he forgot to close the door. Tip-toeing past her happy father, she shut the door with a mild click. "What could be better? And, to celebrate, I got both of you a gift!"

Chihiro's heard perked up. Mr. Ogino took out two silver, thin bracelets with a diamond at the top. "It is beautiful," Chihiro smiled, awed, as she slipped the bracelet on her left wrist.

"...Honey, it is wonderful. Thank you," Mrs. Ogino smiled, putting her's on. "There's something we have to discuss. Come on to the front room." When Mr. Ogino looked the other way, Mrs. Ogino shot her daughter a look that clearly said "get over there." Chihiro did not wait for her mother to repeat herself. She jogged to the front room and sat down at the couch Haku was sitting in.

"What's going on?" he asked in a cautious whisper.

"Whatever happens," Chihiro whispered back, "stay calm. Dad doesn't know about you."

The two teenagers clearly heard Mr. Ogino's endless rambling about how well he worked this month, and how generous his boss has been. "...And he adviced me to - hey, what's this?" He broke off, angrily, at the sight of Haku. "Chihiro, what does this mean?!"

Mrs. Ogino sighed wearily. "Honey, I told you there's something we have to talk about, remember? Sit down. This," Mrs. Ogino waved her hand, "is Haku. Haku, this is my husband, Akio. _Honey_!" Mrs. Ogino cried nervously when Mr. Ogino jumped up from his seat with a deathly glare. "It is _okay. _Let me explain!"

Mr. Ogino sat down, crossing his arms.

"It all goes like this..." Mrs. Ogino said, and related everything what happened to her husband. At some times, Mr. Ogino's eyes flashed with such anger and disbelief that Chihiro had to resist from running to the safety of her room. Looking out of the corner of her eye, Chihiro saw that Haku, on the other hand, looked completely calm and confident.

Like always, Chihiro thought with a sigh.

"...And he came back today."

Mr. Ogino stood up and began to pace the room. "Yuuko, do you understand what you're saying?! This is all _fairy tale nonsense! _As for you, my dear," Mr. Ogino turned fiercly to his daughter, "you will be punished for lying!"

"You know that Chihiro has always been extremely honest with us," Mrs. Ogino said, firmly. "Therefore, I do not find any reason why not to believe this."

"Yuuko, _think! _Is it even possible?"

"With all due respect, sir," Haku interrupted, "but if you would like any proof, I can provide that to you."

Mr. Ogino snickered. "All right. Proof!"

Haku walked over to him and thrust out two, empty palms. When Mr. Ogino saw that there was nothing in his hands, Haku clenched one first and waved his free hand over it. When Haku unclenched his fist, Mr. Ogino was shocked to see that Haku was holding three glittering scales.

"What is this...?" he mused, picking up one scale and holding it with delicate fingers.

"Dragon scales," Haku explained. "They're mine. I thought that turning into a dragon right here would upset the furniture."

"I never saw anything like this," Mrs. Ogino stammered, picking up another scale.

Mr. Ogino slowly put the scale back into Haku's palm. "I do not recognize the scale - they don't look like crocodile scales or anything I saw before."

"Because they aren't," Chihiro chimned in, smiling. "They _are _dragon scales."

Mrs. Ogino put her scale back slowly, watching her husband. Well, the best way to describe how Mr. Ogino looked was _absolutely flabbergasted. _Well, Chihiro thought, who's there to blame him?

"W-well," Mr. Ogino stammered, wiping his sweaty brow, "I would like to thank you for helping us out back then."

"You're welcome, sir."

Mr. Ogino rose an eyebrow at his daughter. "Looked like you earned some friends there, eh? I bet you'd like to go and say hi to all of them."

Chihiro's eyes sparkled as she looked from her father, to mother, and to Haku.

"I personally approve," Mrs. Ogino said. "I bet Chihiro will be having a huge amount of fun, especially after being cooped up in the house all the time." Upon seeing Haku's surprised expression when she said "all the time", Mrs. Ogino went on, "she has Immune disorder, Haku. She gets sick _very _easily. In fact ... it forced us to take her out of school and homeschool her instead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Haku said, apologetically. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Mr. Ogino sighed, sitting down. "The doctors don't know what exactly is wrong!" he muttered. "They said that eventually, she'll overcome it; but she never seems to." He cast a sad look at Chihiro, who was staring at her knees, her cheeks burning red. "The doctors are very surprised."

"It _is _surprising," Mrs. Ogino agreed, sitting back. "There's nothing to be done about it. I just wish Chihiro had a normal life - go to school, play-dates, things like that, like every kid has."

Chihiro's cheeks burned red even more when she felt Haku looking at her, and her parents' gazes directed at her, too. "Ma'am, sir," he said, "how long do you approve of Chihiro visiting the Spirit World?"

Chihiro looked up shyly. "M-mom ... can I go to my room?" she stammered.

Mrs. Ogino nodded. Chihiro quickly scrambled up the stairs, relieved to be out of the front room. She slowly walked over to her open window, breathing in the sweet, crisp air. "I can't believe it..." she murmured, closing her eyes. "I'll be going back there ..."

Chihiro couldn't tell how much time has passed. A minute, five minutes, ten minutes. But while she was regaining her nerves and breathing in and out slowly, a shrill knock interrupted her attention and Mrs. Ogino peaked into the room. "Chihiro, there's news for you. You would like to go back and see your friends and all, correct?"

Chihiro nodded eagerly.

Mrs. Ogino broke into a sad, but yet happy smile as she said, "well, you are! You'll be going for a whole month as a vacation for you, dear."

**So, here's the third chapter of my story "Spirited Away II: Return to the Spirit Realm." I don't know if I'll be able to update tomorrow, but I'll try! Things will get more interesting starting on Chapter 4. My special thanks to everybody who reviewed, followed, or favorite my story! See you all soon! :) Okay, so I fixed some spelling errors OtakuFanGirl001 pointed out. Thanks for the heads up, girl! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Chihiro never thought that returning to the Spirit World would be such a ... _spectacle._

Mrs. Ogino cried (as if it was the goodbye), and reminded Chihiro for the umpteenth time not to do anything foolish least she got a cold "with her Immune disorder." Chihiro never blamed her parents for being overprotective of her, but she did think that it was crossing the line when Mr. Ogino began insisting that she took his heavy, warm coat with her.

Chihiro barely convinced her father that she wouldn't need his coat, because the weather in the Spirit World is warm this time of year.

Finally, after promises and reassurances, Haku and Chihiro left. The walk to the border was silent but full of vivid emotions. Memory after memory resurfaced Chihiro's mind. She could clearly see it all in her head: her father taking the road down the woods, mistaking it for the short cut; how her father, despite her protests, convinced her mother and the three of them went inside the dark tunnel; how they, yet again, didn't listen to her and ate the food meant for the spirits...

"We're here."

Chihiro was surprised that she was so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she didn't even notice that they arrived at their destination; but the surprise melted away when she saw the field of green, a dried up river, and the small town beyond it. "It feels wonderful ... being back," she whispered, still taken with the beauty of the scenery.

Haku chuckled. "I never thought you'd actually want to go back. Your parents were turned into pigs here!"

Chihiro shook her head, smiling faintly. "I made very good friends here, Haku! I met Lin, Kamaji, Granny ... and you." Her blush turned a shade darker. "I don't have anything good related to the pig pens, for example. I have good related to this place, to the bathhouse." She sighed sadly.

"Is ... something wrong?" Haku asked, confused. Why would Chihiro sigh like that when she said, a mere moment ago, that it felt wonderful to be back?

"I just guess that you don't have anything good related to this place. You were Yubaba's biggest slave," she replied sadly.

"I was," he admitted, "but something good _did _happen to me. It was you."

Chihiro's cheeks burned a scarlet red as she avoided Haku's gaze as if her life depended on it. "M-m-_me_?" she stuttered, confused and shy.

A faint, barely pink blush covered over Haku's cheeks; but he ignored it completely. "Of course." He grasped Chihiro's hand and tugged. "Let's get going. I bet Lin and the others will be beside themselves with joy to see you."

Chihiro smiled. "Let's go," she agreed. The two walked quietly over the field, over the dried up river, and down the streets of the town that was full of aroma and tasty delicacies. Walking carefully over the bridge, they went through a small gate and came to the bathhouse; with the long, dangerous stairs at the side of it. The unkind memory of the stairs resurfaced, and Chihiro shuddered.

"It's fine. I'm here," Haku reminded her.

It wasn't the first time that Haku made Chihiro feel secure, protected, and confident. Nodding, she carefully descended the stairs with Haku at her side. This time, she didn't trip.

Either everything was perfect timing, or the whole thing took much longer than Chihiro thought it did, but the night began to fall. By the time the two reached the bottom of the stairs, it was dark completely. Loud hisses came from the boiler room - followed by a yell to "began working immediately."

Chihiro's hands shook with euphoric excitement as she put her palms on the cold surface of the door and pushed it open. A wave of familiar heat rushed out of the boiler room. Breathing in the welcoming heat, the two stepped inside.

Everything was the same as it was eight years ago. Kamaji, who did not seem to age one day, sat on his platform as he cranked the wheel and drank out of his kettle; the water dripping down his chin. The soot balls marched down in long rows, carrying the chunks of coal and throwing them into the blazing fires.

Kamaji - as usual - was ignorant of his visitors.

"Kamaji!" Haku cried loudly.

"Huh?!" the boiler man nearly dropped his hammer in surprise, turning his head around to acknowledge whoever spoke to him. He raised a skeptical, surprised eyebrow and did not fail his work as he inquired: "What brings you here, Haku?"

Chihiro took a step closer. "Hello, Kamaji."

Haku was right when he said that "the others" would be very happy to see her. Kamaji - who never done it before - let his arms drop off his work as he stretched them toward the girl, hugging Chihiro close in a grandfatherly fashion. Chihiro hugged the spirit back, willing herself to hold back the tears that were building up already for -

"Boiler man!" a shrill voice cried, followed by the slide of the door. "It's chow time. Aren't you w-?"

Of course it was Lin.

Chihiro pulled back politely. For the second time that day, her smile went so big, her cheeks hurt. "Hello, Lin!" she greeted, outstretching her arms towards the weasel spirit imploringly.

Chihiro began to notice that nothing changed, nobody aged except Haku. The thought that Haku aged, perhaps, because of _her_ made her blush go _very _red.

Lin stared, before dropping her basket of star-shaped crackers and her bowl of noodles, running towards Chihiro and hugging her tightly. The basket, making a graceful Catherine wheel in the air, let all the crackers out and they fell, with the soot balls catching them, like a rainbow-colored shower. Kamaji gasped as the bowl of his noodles was about to do the same thing, and quickly caught it before even a single drop spilled over the brim.

None of the women took notice. There they were, embraced tightly, spilling out their greetings to each other as if they were some kinds of best friends who didn't see one another in over a century.

Well, that was how it pretty much was - only replace the word "century" with the words "long, lonely eight years."

"You're so beautiful! And as tall as me now!" Lin waved her hand over Chihiro's head, which reached up to her height, too. "Tell me everything!"

After Chihiro finished summarizing her eight years - leaving out her Immune disorder, of course - Kamaji spoke carefully to the girl, taking his share of the reunion. Haku, at the meanwhile, stood carefully in the corner; watching the reunion with a gentle smile.

"Why did you bring her now, Haku?"

Haku jumped at Lin's voice as he turned angrily to acknowledge her. "What?"

"...I forgot that," she admitted, now sad and regretful. "But didn't you hear? The Dark Spirit is on the loose!"

Haku's eyes widened. That, he thought, aghast, is impossible. "What do you mean?"

"I heard it yesterday," Lin whispered. "Everybody knows about it."

"The Dark Spirit was imprisoned an entire millennium ago!"

Lin shook her head sadly. "Quite by coincidence," she muttered, "he somehow escaped now, of all times - just when Chihiro came back!"

Haku looked at Chihiro. She was too wrapped up in a conversation with Kamaji to take any notice. Excusing himself politely, Haku stepped outside of the boiler room with Lin. The two heard the faint shouts of "welcome back" coming from the bathhouse workers, but neither took notice.

"Tell me what you heard," Haku said sternly.

"It was yesterday," Lin explained. "I was assigned to the big tub. While I was scrubbing, I heard the girls say something about 'getting free' and 'Dark Spirit.' So I asked them what was all the rambling about. They told me that the Dark Spirit was able to escape his prison and is now on the loose." Lin shuddered at the memory, tears coming to her eyes. "Haku ... you heard of the myth, right?"

Haku heard, of course. Practically everybody did.

"What are we going to do?" Lin cried. "I was so happy to see Chihiro back ... but ..."

"Chihiro will be safe," Haku assured her, firmly. "Just don't let anybody know she's back."

Lin nodded. "There's nothing more to tell," she said, opening the boiler room door, avoiding the hissing pipes as she walked in. "I also have to go back to work, before Yubaba notices I'm running late and gets suspicious."

Haku nodded. "Of course, go."

"Please, Haku! Keep Chihiro safe for me. She's like a sister to me. _Please._" Lin was at the verge of tears.

The conversation between Chihiro and Kamaji, however, interrupted the talk as they began to listen in to it.

"I can sense something is wrong, Chihiro," Kamaji was saying gently. "You know you can always tell me."

Chihiro sighed heavily. "I really didn't want to bring this up, but I'll tell. I have Immune disorder."

Kamaji put his hand on the wheel and cranked it loudly. "Back to work, you soot balls!" he bellowed, and the soot balls scurried to obey. "Tell me what you have, child," he told Chihiro in between the cranks of the wheel.

"Well ... the Immune system is something in the human body that keeps you healthy. There can be different Immune disorders. An example of Immune disorder is the lack of 'antibodies' in the system. Antibodies fight off viruses and infection. Like when a human gets a cut? The antibodies go to that cut to heal it."

Kamaji looked grave. "You don't have enough antibodies in your system?"

Chihiro sighed. "That's the whole problem. I started getting sick easily since I was eleven years old. The doctors aren't sure what's wrong with me. I seem to have enough antibodies, and my Immune system isn't like, _bad_, but I still get sick easily! The doctors just told me to be quarantined from people so I can stay healthy. So I was pretty much just at home."

Lin gasped loudly. "You sure you okay?" she demanded, cutting in the talk.

Chihiro jumped with surprise at the sound of Lin's voice. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, as long as I don't do anything stupid. The doctors said I have Immune disorder; they just aren't sure what exactly is wrong."

Haku frowned. He already knew Chihiro's problem; and when he first heard it, he didn't think it had anything to do with the Spirit World. But the Dark Spirit getting free after a thousand years of imprisonment just when Chihiro came back a second time, not mentioning the myth ... it just seemed too much to be coincidence.

**I'd like to dedicate this moment to my wonderful reviewers! They are:**

**OtakuFanGirl001, AlyonaKK1, and Ariel ! **

**Thank you for reviewing! Your encouragement means so much to me ...**

**Okay, so I'm not sure when I'll be updating next. I need like 2, 3 days to write a really good chapter; so please be patient with me. I think I'll update if not by, then on Tuesday for sure. If I'll have a change of plans concerning updates, I'll post it on my profile.**

**Thanks for reading! It feels wonderful to know that there are people out there who are so loyal and ****_waiting_**** for an update on my story. Thank you! See you all soon! :) **

**(I just did some minor editing to this chapter right now)**


	5. Chapter 5

It was an entire millennium ago in the Spirit World.

Thick, evil clouds seemed to frown down upon the land as they swirled and covered the heavenly blue sky. The earth was bare, dry, fruitless. The weather was frigid. Nobody ventured out into the open; everybody stayed inside the safety of their homes. Ha! "Safety" was a huge overstatement. There was no place that could truly offer safety at the time.

A dark, massive creature threw back its head in laughter and strode down the roads which led to the Imperial Palace. A beautiful woman clothed in fine robes peaked out of one of the Palace's window and gasped. "He's here!" she cried, aghast.

A man, also clothed in fine garments, approached the Lady and his eyes hardened. "I'll go meet him," he said firmly. The Lady grasped his hand in protest, her beautiful eyes brimming with bitter tears.

"Don't ... he'll kill you."

The Lord pushed the Lady's head into his chest and hugged her. "It is the duty of every king to remember the needs of his people," he said. "And I am much more than a king of a country - king of a world. I won't kill the Dark Spirit; I will imprison him. As you know, love, 'only mortal hands can cut his life.'"

The Lady cried openly now, begging the Lord to reconsider the choice. "But what if -?"

The Lord rose his hand as a sign of silence. "I trust you, love, to take care." With that, the Lord stepped back, put his armor on and took his sword, and left the palace without a second word.

The Lady watched as the Lord came up to the Dark Spirit. The creature let out another horrifying roar; which was its way of laughing. "Is this what I get for a competitor?" he jeered, standing at his full height - twice the height of the Lord.

"You have two choices, Dark Spirit. One, you leave in peace and under the bind of oath, never disturb us again. Or two ... a fight."

The Dark Spirit, again, roared in mocking laughter. "Let the fight begin with the 'oh so powerful' Lord."

Though the Lord was an excellent swordsman and he did his best to defeat the villain, the Dark Spirit was easily winning the game. After being constantly hit and tricked by the Dark Spirit, the Lord collapsed on the ground, exhausted; unable to continue the fight.

"What do all of you say to THIS?!" the Dark Spirit shouted, standing at its full height and picking up the Lord with one hand. "Your king is powerless in my arms!"

It was then that the Dark Spirit was proved wrong. When it wasn't looking, the Lord threw his sword for a nearby tree. Once the sword hit the invisible target, the ground cracked and opened, revealing the Abyss - the prison for the most vicious of monsters.

"You know the consequences, Lord," the Dark Spirit hissed.

The Lord nodded. "I do. In you go, and never to be released."

The Dark Spirit dropped the Lord, making him fall on the ground in a messy heap. A great, sucking force came from the Abyss; pulling in its desired prisoner. The Dark Spirit screamed in protest, grabbed at anything it could reach; but the Abyss was irresistible, and soon, the villain disappeared into the very depths of the dark prison.

The consequences were that the Lord died that very day. And he did.

As heart wrenching as it was, the Lord's sacrifice ended the Dark Ages. The Spirit World never knew such terror and misery for an entire millennium; they were safe, as long as the Dark Spirit was inside that dreadful Abyss. But now...

Escaping the Abyss, to begin with, was practically impossible. It wasn't the first time, however, the Dark Spirit did the impossible - he was the worst villain that the Spirit World ever knew! Come what must, but the creature had to be killed. Nothing, not even the Abyss (the most powerful prison) could withhold the Dark Spirit. And when the Dark Spirit was on the loose... like he was a millennium ago...

Zeniba was knitting, again, with No-Face sitting next to her. The witch looked over her clicking needles and frowned. "No-Face," she said gently, "mind putting more log into the fire? It is getting colder."

No-Face grunted an agreement and put more wood into the fireplace. He grunted again.

"I know," Zeniba sighed. "Who doesn't? It is a disaster."

No-Face sighed heavily and picked up his knitting, grunting. Zeniba smiled sadly.

"You're asking what do I think on the matter?"

No-Face nodded.

"You heard of it, No-Face!" There was a ring of impatience in Zeniba's voice. "'Only mortal hands can cut its life.' Remember?"

If No-Face had a face, he would probably have frowned angrily. Instead, he grunted in such a tone as one would use when impatiently correcting another.

"Sure, it is called a myth. It doesn't mean it isn't true," Zeniba pointed out. "Trust me, No-Face. It is true. If it wasn't, why would the Lord make the necessary sacrifice of his life to imprison the Dark Spirit when he could have killed it instead?" The witch sighed, looking at the gentle fires sadly. "Spirits are pride creatures, No-Face. Many look down upon humans - the mortal beings - with hatred. Quite foolish of them. Little Chihiro proved us all wrong if we say 'all humans are bad.' She's an angel, my granddaughter is. Isn't it right, No-Face?"

But before No-Face could respond, the wind picked up and rattled the windows. "We've got a visitor," Zeniba announced. "Won't you open the door for him, No-Face?"

No-Face, of course, did not disobey Zeniba. With a small nod, he twisted the door knob and the door bounced open, glad to be free of its bond. Haku stood at the doorstep, in his human form. No-Face stepped aside and happily made a welcoming gesture with his hand, followed by a grunt.

"It is good to see you, too, No-Face," Haku said with a smile as he stepped in.

"Welcome, welcome, Kohaku!" Zeniba smiled, walking over to the stove. "Sit down, I'll make tea. It is especially useful when the weather is turning bitter."

"I apologize for the racket I just caused," Haku said. "It is getting tougher and tougher to land peacefully, with all the wind."

Zeniba nodded. "Don't you worry," she assured him. "It is fine. I guess you came to talk about the Dark Spirit?"

Haku nodded as he sat down at the table. "Yes," he said. "Also, there's one more thing I must tell you. Chihiro's back."

Surprised flashed through Zeniba's old face, before it changed into a flash of disapproval. "You brought her here," she hissed. "_Haku!_ Really!"

"I had no idea," Haku said, firmly. "Everything was normal when I left. I heard about it from Lin, when I just came back with her."

Zeniba brought three cups with a kettle. "Care to join us, No-Face?" she asked, and No-Face replied by immediately sitting down at the table.

"There's a lot to tell you, Haku," Zeniba said as she poured herself a large cup of tea. "You are aware that Chihiro is wearing the hair tie I gave her?" Haku nodded.

"You should understand - of course - that I put several protective spells on it, to protect Chihiro from harm. Now, a little less than a year after she left, I felt somebody ... basically, trying to break through my spells on Chihiro. I felt as if somebody was trying to cast a bad spell on her. My spells, of course, offered their protection. I wasn't able to completely protect Chihiro from those spells, but I was able to greatly weaken their effect. So, for the past seven years, I have been watching Chihiro closely for any effect - but she seemed okay. Now that she came, do you know if there's anything wrong with her?"

Haku nearly choked on his tea, putting the tea cup back with a frown. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Zeniba?" he hissed.

"I said, so far, everything seemed okay. If there was anything urgent, important, 'emergency' so-to-speak, I would have told you."

Haku knew another reason why Zeniba didn't tell him - he rarely visited her.

"Yes, there is something wrong," he said. "Chihiro mentioned that she has something called 'Immune disorder.' Because of some sort of disorder in her Immune system (something that keeps the human healthy), she gets sick easily and can stay sick for long periods of time. Her parents quarantined her from public to keep her healthy."

Zeniba seemed to pale. No-Face seemed to freeze, as if he was a statue rather than a living being.

"Are you aware that Chihiro's memories were erased when she left?" Zeniba asked slowly. Haku stared.

"She remembered when she turned eleven, about the same time somebody tried to ... put those spells on her. Haku, did Chihiro say what exactly is wrong with her Immune system?"

Haku's paled. "They don't know," he whispered. "The doctors categorized her problem as 'Immune disorder', but aren't sure what exactly is wrong with her."

A thick tension hung throughout the cottage. Nobody even bothered to drink their tea. Outside, the weather was slowly turning cold and windy. Even the train seemed to ride faster, as if eager to finish its work. Somewhere, out there, the dangerous Dark Spirit lurked; and the spirits were like hopeless children, watching their homes get destroyed. The myth says that only a mortal (in other words, a human) can kill the Dark Spirit ...

"I just hope that my sister has nothing to do with this," Zeniba murmured, aghast.

Haku's face completely drained of all color. "Now that you mention it, it makes a lot of sense. But, what would Yubaba want with Chihiro?"

"I don't think _she _would want anything." Zeniba sighed. "I'm afraid to say what I think. I just hope this isn't somehow related to ... the Dark Spirit."

Haku shook his head. "Excuse me for mentioning, but I simply don't understand why your sister would do anything so ... low." And that's putting it mildly, he thought bitterly.

Zeniba chuckled. "Don't excuse yourself. Well, as I have said before, this is the case where identical twins are exact opposites." She sipped her tea thoughtfully.

"The question is: is there a way to keep Chihiro safe? She came for a visit."

"It is possible, but it may be hard to do. My sister may already sense a human in the bathhouse; but just in case she is unaware of it, don't let her know. Keep her under close watch. I will put a few more protective spells on her hair tie."

Haku stood up with a stiff bow. "Thank you very much for your help."

Zeniba laughed loudly, causing No-Face to flinch with surprise from the unexpected sound. "Oh, you're welcome a thousand times over, Haku! She's my granddaughter, remember? Oh, and do bring her in for a visit."

Haku nodded. "Of course."

As Haku turned into his dragon form and flew to back to the bathhouse, Zeniba watched, and hoped that her worst fears will never become reality.

No-Face grunted.

"What's on my mind, you ask?" Zeniba turned with a tired sigh. "You heard him. Chihiro has Immune disorder. I'm sure - a thousand times over - that this is the effect of whoever tried to hurt Chihiro; and that the 'hurt' would be much worse if it wasn't for the spells I put on the hair tie."

No-Face grunted a question, again.

"Who it may be? It is a possibility that it is my sister, but ... I just don't know for sure, No-Face. I just don't know."

Chihiro shivered slightly, wrapping the cloak Kamaji gave her more securely around her shoulders. The weather changed - it was colder, like Autumn weather, and windy. The change of weather was beyond her; Chihiro could not understand whatever caused the change, remembering that at her first stay, the weather was the same. Perhaps it was cold front coming in, _if_ there were any cold fronts in the Spirit World to begin with.

But something told her that it wasn't a cold front.

"Chihiro! What are you doing here?"

Chihiro jumped at the voice. It was Haku. He did not want her to leave the boiler room, for some reason.

"I just stepped outside for some fresh air!" she exclaimed. "I'm just here - at the base of the stairs. Nobody is going to see me. What's the big deal, anyway?"

Haku shook his head, descending the last remaining steps on the stairs. "Let's go inside. I don't want you to catch a cold."

Chihiro arched her eyebrows. "Why did the weather change, Haku?" she asked gently.

"It's ... a long story."

"We have time to kill."

Haku sighed. "I suppose you haven't heard of the Dark Spirit," he said quietly. Chihiro shook her head.

"Well, it is a very dangerous monster. A thousand years ago, the Dark Spirit wanted to kill the Lord and Lady and rule the Spirit World. It has very dark intentions; and if it ever would become to rule this world, everybody would be under the enslavement of tyranny.

"The Lord ended up imprisoning the Dark Spirit into the Abyss, which is the most powerful prison that is build especially for the very dangerous. This coasted the Lord his life! Well, all of that happened a thousand years ago. Just recently, however, the Dark Spirit escaped is now on the loose. That is the reason why the weather is getting cold."

Chihiro gasped, taking a step back.

Haku looked down, as if ashamed. "I don't know when exactly the Dark Spirit escaped, Chihiro. I did not know that it escaped when it came back for you. I'm sorry it turned out this way; I didn't mean to, of course. If I knew this would happen, I never would have brought you here."

Chihiro laughed softly, but there was obvious sadness as she spoke: "That is not what I meant, Haku. I know you - you would never do anything to hurt me. I mean ... what can be done about it? Can't the Dark Spirit be killed?"

She shouldn't know that, Haku thought. Instead, he smiled and said, "come on, let's go inside. I visited Zeniba, and she would like to see you. Do you want to go?"

All thoughts of the Dark Spirit were banished from Chihiro's mind at the mention of the kind witch. "Really? How wonderful! When will we go to visit Granny?"

"Whenever you like," Haku replied with a lord like gesture as he opened the door and stood aside respectfully.

Chihiro giggled. "Tomorrow okay?"

Haku smiled. "Yes."

**Well, aren't I the best writer ever - making a super early update?**

**MY HUGE THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO READ MY STORY! I was so happy when I read "283 views and 101 visitors"! Thank you to everybody who read, follows, and put my story on their favorite list! :) **

**Special thanks to my reviewers: OtakuFanGirl001, AlyonaKK1, HazelGamerKat, Ariel, and Chelsie the Vampire Adventurer**

**Chelsie the Vampire Adventurer: Really? Happy Birthday! Here's what kind of birthday gift I can give to you... hope you enjoyed it! :)**

**OtakuFanGirl001: So glad you like my story**

**AlyonaKK1: That's so nice of you :) Thank you so much for your support! It means a lot to me**

**Ariel: Haha, yes I wrote more! Enjoy! :) **

**HazelGamerKat: So glad you like my story, how do you like this chapter? **

**No guarantees when I will update next, but shouldn't take too long! I need a few days to collect my thoughts, write a good chapter, etc. But, I think I will be updating some time next week. In the meanwhile, leave me a review and tell me what you think! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

Hollow footsteps echoed through the cave's walls. A tall figure clothed in a black cloak walked down the dripping cave, not hesitating to step down on a worm and smothering it to bits before walking onwards.

The figure stopped when it came to a huge hole. Basically, the hole was like a bottomless pit at the cave's floor; so dark and empty, you could not see the end of it. The figure cupped its hands to its mouth and cried out into the pit: "Abyss, I command you to open!"

At the sound of the call, dark smoke with a thick, burning strench poured out of the pit's mouth. The figure jumped into the very heart of the smoke, unafraid of the danger of getting burned by the obvious fires below. The figure landed at what was basically a "dungeon of fires" - scorching, red flames made up the bars and prison cells, the walls, and the floor. Inside those cells sat ugly monsters, unrecognizable to the human eye.

"Brothers, monsters! Tell me, who put you here?" the figure shouted.

"The Lord! Lord! Lord!" every monster echoed from within its prison.

"And now that I am going to set you all free, how will you repay me?" the figure shouted again, summending a ball of energy in its black palms.

"Forever do your will!"

The figure smiled to itself and threw back the hood that was covering its head. "Oh, I just can't wait for show time," it whispered to itself and began to free the vicious monsters.

"Be careful, Chihiro. Zeniba _is _a witch, after all. A very powerful one," Lin warned sternly as she handed Chihiro her dark cloak.

Chihiro smiled at her friend, but shook her head in objection. "No, Lin. Granny's nothing like Yubaba! It's like she said, 'this is the case where identical twins are exact opposites.' Why do you think Yubaba hates Granny so?"

Lin, for her part, did not want to think much about it. She just knew the facts: Zeniba was a powerful witch, and there was a constant battle between the twin sisters over the gold seal or something else. The fact that Chihiro was calling Zeniba (Yubaba's sister!) _granny _was beyond Lin, but she didn't argue. "I guess," she murmured.

"Oh and Chihiro, just in case you'll need 'em," Kamaji pipped up suddenly. The two women turned to face the boiler man. Much to Lin's surprise, Kamaji extended Chihiro a hand and gave her train tickets.

"You've got train trickets, _again? _H-how could you ... I thought you gave your last one way! You managed to save for them in _only _eight years?" Lin was flabbergasted.

Kamaji nodded. "Things were looking up. Remember how the business went after Chihiro left?"

Lin crossed her arms over her chest. "You're lucky, boiler man," she hissed. "I worked the bones out of my body and that witch wouldn't give me an extra piece of gold for no nothing!"

"Oh Lin, I'm absolutely certain that one day you'll get out of the bathhouse and travel. It is your dream." Chihiro gave the doubtful weasel spirit a small, encouraging smile. "And while _I _am traveling to Granny's, I'll do my best to memorize the view so I can give you a very accurate description and you can get an idea of how it is out there."

Lin's frown melted into a joyous smile. "R-really? Y-y-you would do that f-for me?" she stuttered. "Chihiro, that's the sweetest thing anybody did for me!"

Chihiro nodded eagerly. "'Course, Lin. You're like a sister to me."

Haku (already in his dragon form) gave an impatient, low growl.

"Coming, Haku!" Chihiro called. Then she turned back to her friends. "Thank you for the train tickets, Kamaji."

Kamaji nodded. "You're welcome, dear."

Chihiro climbed up Haku's back and waved. "Goodbye, Lin! Bye, Kamaji! See you soon!"

Lin began to tear up and she waved wildly as if she was trying to make herself visible from a mile away. "Bye, Chihiro! See you _sooooon!" _

The two watched until the slender dragon was a black speck in the blue, noon sky. "We must get going," Kamaji said, stifling a yawn. "We don't want Yubaba finding us here."

Lin nodded, remembering why Chihiro and Haku left at noon in the first place. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered in reply, stifling her yawn. "Hopefully, I will get a few more hours' sleep before it is 'back-breaking labor time.'"

Chihiro looked around herself in bewilderment. This was a completely different route than the last time she took to see Zeniba. "Where are we going, Haku?" she whispered.

Haku, being in his dragon form, did not reply but looked below them. Rising her eyebrow in confusion, Chihiro looked below and was overcome with awe from what she saw.

Directly below them was a very beautiful river; azure in color, slender and rather narrow, but undoubtedly deep. The water was crystal clear, and Chihiro could almost make out crabs and fishes swimming at the bottom. Though the river was in a middle of some forest, the trees seemed to stand by; growing a far distance from the riverbank, as if giving it room. This oddly reminded Chihiro of how ordinary people would always make room for somebody important - king, say, or president - to walk by.

"Is that your river?"

Haku nodded and landed at the riverbank. Chihiro did not understand why Haku would take her here now when they were supposed to be visiting Zeniba; but did not mention her questions as she climbed off Haku's back. Without turning into his human form, Haku jumped into the river.

"What is he doing?" Chihiro wondered as she looked into the river. There she saw Haku, lying emotionlessly at the bottom. It looked like he was - resting. Then, he began to nip at something that looked like a clamshell. After he forced it open, Haku took the contents out of the shell and swam back to the surface.

"Haku?"

Haku changed into his human form. For a moment, it surprised Chihiro that he wasn't wet after just taking a dip in a river; but again, this definitely was not the first time she was surprised by the Spirit World.

"Sorry. I didn't tell you in advance." Haku dropped something round and firm into Chihiro's palm. "This is for you."

"For me?" Chihiro echoed and looked down at the object in her hand. It was the most beautiful pearl she ever saw! Not even those expensive necklaces, with the round, saltwater pearls displayed in shop windows that costed nearly a month's worth of salary could compare to this one. It was very big and perfectly round, without the slightest dent in it. What surprised Chihiro the most was it color - azure, like the river it came from.

"H-Haku ... it is gorgeous," she whispered, awed.

Haku simply smiled. "I'm glad you liked it," he said. "It's the best I have."

Chihiro could only stare from Haku to the river and back to the pearl. "Thank you. It is the most beautiful pearl I ever saw in my entire life."

Haku shook his head and grasping Chihiro by the hand, led her closer to the river. "Don't thank me. I wouldn't have had anything if it wasn't for you."

"Me!" Chihiro's mouth stayed open.

"Of course. _You _remembered my name."

"W-what?" Chihiro blinked until realization dawned upon her, and she blushed. "Y-yes, I d-did, b-but..." she looked down in defeat, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Let's get going. I bet you want to visit Zeniba."

"Haku! Wait! You ... you didn't come here just to give me the pearl. Did you?"

Haku sighed. "No. I came here to restore my energy. I felt like I'd need it."

Chihiro arched her eyebrows slightly, but did not say anything else as Haku turned back into a dragon and this time, flew to Zeniba.

By the time they arrived, it was well past sundown and Chihiro was very tired. Climbing clumsily off Haku's back, the girl felt her hands sweat in nervousness of seeing the kind witch again. The door opened with a graceful bounce, and a sweet, old voice called from within the house: "Come in, come in!"

Haku hurriedly turned into his human form and the two walked in.

A gentle fire burned in the fireplace; the table was laid out with food and tea. Scanning the room with eager eyes, Chihiro saw Zeniba turned away from the stove and regard her visitors with a gentle smile. "Isn't it my granddaughter?" she inquired.

"Granny!" Chihiro cried, and hugged Zeniba tightly. "I'm so glad to see you."

"And I am glad to see you, my dear," Zeniba cooed and held the girl at arm's length. "My, how you've grown!"

A gentle grunt interrupted the conversation. No-Face rose from his knitting, looking joyful, excited, yet sad.

"Oh, No-Face, it is simply _wonderful _to see you," Chihiro breathed and hugged the shadowy spirit gently.

"Sit down, everyone!" Zeniba clapped loudly. "There's plenty to talk about, I'm sure."

Zeniba asked Chihiro closely concerning her life since she left. Chihiro did her best to answer truthfully, but often felt discomfit when she realized that too much was led to her Immune disorder. I didn't want them to know, she thought sadly.

"I see you want to rest," Zeniba observed, "but one more question. Chihiro, dear, were you happy the past eight years?"

Chihiro's eyes widened and she looked at her knees, surprised by the question. _Was _she happy?

"I ... I don't know," she whispered. "I mean, I was happy, of course, to be with my parents. But I also felt ... lonely. I missed you all terribly."

Zeniba nodded, not at all surprised by the answer. "I understand, my dear. Everybody missed you here. No-Face was asking me nearly every day about you. Haku, undoubtedly, missed you the most."

Thanks for making me blush, Chihiro thought bitterly when her cheeks turned red. "I missed you all, too," she murmured and they all began eat.

Nobody expected anything else to happen, afterwards. But some time after, while they were still eating peacefully, a loud knock interrupted the quiet meal.

Zeniba frowned. "No-Face, do you mind opening it?"

No-Face wordlessly obeyed. There, at the doorstep, lied a small envelope sealed with a sticker. Picking it up, No-Face gave it to Zeniba.

"It is addressed to you, Haku," Zeniba said, handing the envelope.

"Me?" Haku repeated, confused. He tore open the envelope and read the letter.

"What does it say?" Chihiro asked softly.

"It says ..." Haku frowned. "It says that the Lady requested my presence at the Imperial Palace immediately."

**Here is a chapter to my dear readers! Thank you all for reading my story. I check the traffic stats every day, and I'm so happy to get "453 views and 140 visitors" on my story. So you should get a pretty good idea what is going on now. The Dark Spirit is freeing all the other monsters from the Abyss ... and now, the Lady requested Haku's presence at the Imperial Palace. Any ideas what is going to happen next? It is a cliff-hanger, I know, but I will be certain to update some time soon. In the meanwhile, leave me a review! Thank you to my reviewers: NarutoSwag99, AlyonaKK1, OtakuFanGirl001, HazelGamerKat, and Chelsie the Vampire Adventurer!**

**HazelGamerKat: Glad you like my story, thanks for reading!  
NarutoSwag99: Aw thanks, best is still ahead! Thanks for reading!  
Chelsie the Vampire Adventurer: You're welcome :)  
AlyonaKK1: Thank you for your review. How's this chapter?  
OtakuFanGirl001: Glad you like my story. I'm trying my best!**


	7. Chapter 7

Haku knew, of course, why the Lady called for him. It was stated in the letter. The Lord has been the Royal Army's general; and since his death, the Royal Army did not have a general and the Lady needed one for the upcoming war with the Dark Spirit.

Haku saw the Imperial Palace and slowly landed down, shivering slightly from the cold weather. The Imperial Palace truly was a sight to behold: pointy towers with red flags and banners reached for the sky; pillars supported the high-arched roofs; the marble of the Palace glittered in the sunlight; and elegant stairs led to the gate. There at the foot of the stairs stood a group of male spirits, whispering among themselves nervously and looking very solemn and unhappy, as if they would much rather be somewhere else.

Haku transformed into his human form and joined the group. Nobody paid attention to his arrival. Then the gate opened, and there stood the Lady. She indeed was a very beautiful woman, and actually shared a secret resemblence with Haku. She had large, almond-shaped eyes, porcelain pale skin, and a heart-shaped face with a pointy chin. Only her eyes were azure in color, not emerald; and her hair wasn't dark and straight but fell down in graceful waves to her waist, and also was azure in color.

The spirits bend on one knee and lowered their heads in respect.

"Rise," the Lady said. The spirits rose, feeling very self-conscious and discomfit.

"Thank you all for coming. Please, follow me," she said, and walked into the Royal Gardens. The spirits murmured among themselves in confusion, but obediently followed the Lady behind.

The Royal Gardens once was a beautiful sight to behold; cherry blossoms stood over the still lakes and the flowers and fruit orchards filled the gardens with their sweet smells. But, due to the change of weather, the trees were bare and there wasn't a single flower in the flower beds. Even the Lady wore a cloak over her silk garments, shivering slightly from the cold weather.

When the Lady camed to a bare field, she turned around and acknowledged the group:

"As we all know, the Dark Spirit escaped the Abyss and is now on the loose. It still has the same intentions to conquer the Spirit Realm. There will be a great war with the Dark Spirit, that will decide our fates forever. If we win, we will all live peacefully as we have for the past millennium. If we lose, we will all be under the enslavement of tyranny.

"I called you here today because of your noble acts and from what I heard, great knowledge on sciences and magic. Today I will test your skills, and hopefully, I will pick a general among one of you for the Royal Army for the upcoming war. Remember, the fate of our families, our people, our _entire world _depends on you."

So the Lady tested each of the noble spirits' skills. Though she picked the ones who were supposedly with great power and strength, she was actually very disappointed in them. Many of them could not answer the questions she asked them; and they definitely displeased her with their magic skills. A few strands of the Lady's blue hair turned almost gray after repeated failures.

The one who actually showed talent and knowledge was Haku. He was the only one who correctly answered to each question the Lady asked him, and defeated every other spirit who fought them when his fighting skills were tested. By the end of the day, the young Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi was immediately appointed as the new royal general.

Of course, this was undoubtedly the biggest achievement Haku ever had. But he saw it more stressful than anything else; he will be directing the troops to fight the Dark Spirit, and everybody knew the Dark Spirit as the "unconquerable." But Haku knew that he had to do his best; to fight the Dark Spirit will take every ounce of his power, and he was determined not to disappoint the Lady and not to let the Spirit Realm down.

It was already late night back at Zeniba's. The kind witch looked over at Chihiro as she was helping her with the knitting. But she looked to be knitting her brow into a frown more than anything else.

"Chihiro, dear, don't worry. Everything will be fine," Zeniba reassured her with a smile, patting the girl's arm.

Chihiro returned the smile weakly. "Granny ... can the Dark Spirit be stopped?" she asked.

Zeniba pressed her lips together and looked at the rosy fires, rising from the fireplace's pit. "Everything can," she replied slowly.

Chihiro had the uneasy feeling that _she _had something to do with it. "Granny, who can?"

"That is nothing for you to worry about," Zeniba said firmly.

Chihiro frowned. What is going on, she thought, dismayed. "Granny ... can't you tell me?"

Zeniba sighed, knowing that Chihiro would not be satisfied until she was answered. "I can't say who or what exactly can _stop _the Dark Spirit," Zeniba explained. "You understand, it is the worst villain ever."

"Can't it be killed?"

Zeniba looked up at Chihiro sharply and saw her stifle a yawn. "It is late, dear. You go to sleep now. It has been a tough day for all of us."

Chihiro put her knitting on the couch beside her. "Rest ... sounds wonderful, Granny," she murmured, standing up and giving the elderly witch a kiss on the cheek. "Good night."

"Good night, dear."

No-Face approached Zeniba when Chihiro disappeared, grunting.

"Of course she can't know," Zeniba replied in a hushed whisper. "Knowing Chihiro, she will just set out to kill the Dark Spirit without thinking the next two steps ahead."

No-Face sat down and began to work at Chihiro's unfinished knitting, grunting a question.

"You're asking about the gold seal?" Zeniba arched her eyebrows. "Unfortunately, it cannot do anything, No-Face. You know that there is no spiritual force that can actually defeat the Dark Spirit. The Abyss served its purpose; but now that the Dark Spirit knows how to get out of it, it will be just as useless as everything else. _None _of this is a coincidence, No-Face! I'm sure that whoever tried to hurt Chihiro and had the weakened outcome of her Immune disorder has something to do with the Dark Spirit."

No-Face grunted again and began to knit more quickly.

Zeniba sighed wearily. "I have a good idea who it can be," she whispered. "My sister."

Then, the wind picked up and rattled the windows dangerously. No-Face opened the door. Haku stepped in, death-eyed and exhausted.

"Well, what did the Lady want?" Zeniba asked.

Haku sat down at the table, hurriedly telling Zeniba what happened at the Imperial Palace. Zeniba gave a small nod of understanding and brought a large cup of tea to him.

"Chihiro can't be affected by the war," Haku said, drinking his tea. "It is too dangerous."

"That is easier said than done," Zeniba said sternly. "I'm afraid it may even be too late."


	8. Chapter 8

Lin was _not _in the mood to be messed with.

Her day started out bad and so far, not a good thing happened to her. During the average "morning" routine of getting ready for the big day ahead, her shirt ripped; causing her to be late for work because she had to mend the rip. Yubaba did not care for reasons. She successfully embarrassed Lin by telling her in front of _everyone _that if she didn't "meet required standards for an average bathhouse worker", she would have to face the consequences.

Of course, the staff took the oppurtonity to laugh at Lin that entire day. And just to make her day even worse, she was assigned to the big tub _again _- doing frog's work.

So here was a very grumpy Lin, having tough luck scrubbing the sludge off the dirty tub. She winced at her aching muscles, remembering Chihiro and her cheery smile that would light up anyone at the darkest of moods. "How it would be, if she was here," she mused, smiling.

"Lin!" It was the foreman.

"What?!" Lin snapped, not bothering to look up at the foreman.

"Yubaba wants to see you."

"Wait - what?" Lin dropped her brushes and climbed to the edge of the big tub, staring at the foreman in disbelief. _"Me?" _

"You heard!" the foreman yelled roughly. "Now get going."

Lin shook her head, muttering how her life just couldn't get any tougher. Why Yubaba would want to see her was beyond the weasel spirit - she was just an average worker, like thousands of others that worked in the luxurious bathhouse. But it was better not to risk it. Just get it over with, Lin thought to herself and marched down the bathhouse with her head held high.

The noise grew fainter and fainter until it wasn't even in ear shot as the elevator took Lin to the highest floor. The eerily quiet luxurious halls were enough to scare even the arrogant foreman into behaving. Lin stopped, jaw-dropped, as she saw something truly shocking: the doors that eventually would lead to Yubaba's office were _open._

"W-what?" Lin stammered quietly. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the doors and carefully made her way to the office. As she approached the office, she heard two voices: one loud, demanding, rude, threatening; and another voice that was frightened and meek.

The frightened and meek voice was _Yubaba's. _

Yubaba spun on her heel quickly, making Lin gasp and quickly hide behind a curtain. Though she wasn't still in the office, she knew that she didn't stand a chance escaping. The slightest gasp, the quietest footstep and she would be discovered.

"How dare you think I am imagining this?!" the rude voice yelled. "There _is _a human here."

Human? Who ever it was meant Chihiro. Lin definitely wasn't leaving now.

"Oh, of course not sir," Yubaba whispered. "Just if there was..."

"JUST IF THERE WAS!" Somebody slammed a fist on Yubaba's desk, rattling the china and upsetting the order of the paperwork. "Listen here, _witch. _There _is _a human here. I want that human's head on a silver platter."

"Of course, honorable sir," Yubaba promised, bowing slightly. "As soon as I find any traces of the human, I will let you know."

"See to it you bring satisfaction," the voice hissed. "I _am _the Dark Spirit. You _know _what will become of your son - and I'm not mentioning you - if this isn't taken seriously. I want every corner of this bathhouse searched. You know that humans are the real threat to my very being."

"I promise you, sir!" Yubaba stammered, bowing again.

There was a warning, terrible silence in the office. Yubaba seemed to tremble from head to toe at the being before her. With a loud, disapproving sniff, the Dark Spirit said:

"Good."

Yubaba hastily made her way over to the balcony, opening the doors. "This way, sir," she murmured, nodding towards the balcony. The Dark Spirit sauntered over to the balcony and without a second glance or word to Yubaba, jumped out the balcony and turned into a hideous bird, flying away.

Yubaba glared at the bird with _such _bitter hatefulness that if looks could kill, this Dark Spirit didn't stand a chance.

Too bad that they didn't.

Yubaba spun on her heel, strode over to the curtain Lin was hiding behind and yanked it aside. The witch scowled at her employee, her glare promising many levels of pain.

"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

Of course the witch was simply taunting her. Lin managed to keep a straight face. "What will you do?!" she screamed. Lin felt herself loose control and all her worries and anger rise to the surface.

"Listen here, _weasel." _Yubaba grabbed Lin by the shoulders and shook her furiously. "Did Chihiro come back?"

Lin glared.

"Obviously I have to teach you a lesson!" Yubaba screamed and hit Lin several times against the wall until she cried out in pain and tears stung her eyes as her head spun and spots covered her vision.

"Where is Chihiro? Answer me," Yubaba hissed, holding Lin by the collar of her shirt.

"I won't tell."

"'Course you won't," Yubaba hissed, throwing Lin on the floor with a sickening thud. "You _love _her too much. Of course, you understand, I can't have you running off and informing your friends for Chihiro not to come back. That will risk the life of my baby."

"Bo would be very angry with you, witch!" Lin wanted to glare and snap in reply, but she managed to stare at Yubaba hopelessly and whimper as she fell back to the floor in pain.

"My Bo is none of your concern," Yubaba said. She snapped her fingers, revealing a hidden staircase beside the fireplace leading down to a set of dungeons. The prison cells were dirty and bare.

"In you go," Yubaba spat, pointing down the stairs. Lin stood up on shaking legs, backing away.

"No ... no ... please!"

"Have it your way." Yubaba snapped her fingers again, making Lin faint and fall to the floor with another sickening thud. Climbing down the staircase with an unconscious Lin in her arms, Yubaba threw her in one of the dusty cells and slammed the door loudly.

The witch quickly climbed up the stairs, shuddering. "That prison," she muttered, stepping into her office and hastily snapped her fingers to hide the dungeon.

"Mama!"

Yubaba turned around, shuddering as if the Dark Spirit was before her. Instead, it was her gigantic son standing. Bo rubbed his eyes sleepily and yawned. "Mama, what's all the racket?"

Yubaba smiled sweetly and rushed over to Bo. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she cooed. "Here am I - old hag - disturbing you when you were sound asleep."

"Mama, I think I heard Lin."

Yubaba groaned inwardly. Perfect.

"Oh sweetie, you must imagined it," she assured her son with a sweet smile. "Lin is working."

"Then call Lin here!" Bo cried. "I want to see her."

"But I can't, sweetie," Yubaba objected, wrecking her brains for the perfect lie. "She's attending customers, you see."

Bo arched his eyebrows slightly. "Really?"

"Of course." Yubaba desperately hid the impatience from her voice. "But please, dear, go back to sleep."

"And for your information," Bo said rudely, "I'll be visiting Auntie Zeniba _tomorrow. _I want to, mama."

"Oh, of course. But go to sleep now, dear. For mommy."

Now, Bo could have a major control over his mother; but he could not resist to do what his mother asked him to when she looked at him that way. Bo nodded briefly in acknowledgement and stumped to his nursery, falling asleep the moment his head hit the cushions.

"That was close," Yubaba said to herself, all of her motherly sweetness fading away the moment Bo left. "When my son will grow up, he will _thank _me for saving him." The witch shuddered at the unpleasant memory of the Dark Spirit's threat to Bo.

"Yubaba," it have said, "if you do not do exactly what I tell you to, you can imagine what will become of you - I am not mentioning your beloved baby. Bo is his name, isn't it?" And it repeated the same thing to her today.

* * *

Oh, Yubaba _did _imagine. She would rather suffer one hundred Bo fits and slay the entire human population than see her beloved baby ... hurt, putting it mildly.

Lin's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she felt was a terrible pain in her head. "What ... where am I?" she stammered, looking around her unfamiliar surroundings. She saw herself in what looked like a prison cell; the metal bars seperating her from the corridor that was filled with other countless prison cells.

Her hands and feet were chained to the wall. Memories resurfaced, and Lin cried when she remembered - or, more likely, _understood _- how she got here.

"What will become of Chihiro?" she wailed to herself, covering her face with her dirty palms and doing her best to ignore the shrill clank of the iron chains. "Chihiro ... please, if you can hear me, hear this: don't come back to the bathhouse. Yubaba is working for the Dark Spirit, and she'll kill you if you'll give her the tiniest chance. _Please, _Chihiro, don't come back! Please ... for the sake of your life ..."

Lin felt heart wrenching cries form in her chest and her heart break; and soon, she was crying gently, rocking herself and trying to lock out the harsh sounds of the iron chains that clearly didn't approve of her moving. I don't care for myself - I'm not at life threatening danger, Lin thought.

Lin remembered, for the umpteenth time, that Chihiro was a _human. _How easy it is to hurt a human! Lin felt the need to get free - to yank herself out of the irony grasp of the chains, to push herself through the bars, to run down the train tracks all day and night if necessary to get to Zeniba's to warn Chihiro of the danger she was in.

* * *

Yubaba didn't bother to bring Lin anything to eat and drink; and because of that, her stomach was empty and her throat dry. It was only noon the next day that Yubaba came down to Lin's cell, opening the door with a screech and carrying a bowl of water in her hand.

Lin looked up at Yubaba, weary.

"You have two choices," Yubaba said firmly. "One, you tell me where Chihiro is and I'll set you free - with a certain spell, of course, that will prevent you from telling others what you heard. Or two, you do not cooperate and just stay here, say, for the rest of your life. Your diet will consist of only bread and water, so don't expect it to be long."

Lin pressed her lips together, balling her hands into fists.

"I take it as a no?" Yubaba demanded, her face hardening as if it was made of stone.

Lin remained silent, doing her best to ignore her heart that seemed to tighten inside her body.

"And one more thing," Yubaba said, putting the bowl of water near Lin. "Don't expect me to be patient with you. You _will _face certain physical consequences for your stubborness."

Lin took the bowl of water and drank it, letting the liquid soothe her dry throat. "Your bathhouse won't run without me," she reminded Yubaba fiercly after she found her voice. "Nobody will be bringing food to Kamaji, the boiler man; and eventually he'll be so weak from lack of meals that he won't be able to do his job. As you know, his job is crucial for the bathhouse to run."

Yubaba laughed. "Smart. I can get somebody else to bring the food."

Lin scoffed. "Fine," she said. "Explain it to your workers when they start questioning where I am, and why you're not searching for me and having others do my work instead."

Yubaba's eyes narrowed, pressing her lips firmly together. "Fine, _weasel. _You go to your work, but there will be new ... consequences, let's say, for you. One, you will get very little food and rest. Two, you will do ten times as more work as you did before. Three, you may not leave the bathhouse territory under any condition without my permission. And four, if you do your work poorly, don't finish it on time, or give my staff any trouble - you'll be beaten."

Yubaba ignored Lin's gasp as she snapped her fingers, freeing her. "Now move!" she yelled. Lin stood up on her trembling legs and followed Yubaba up the stairs and into her office.

"You're not resting," Yubaba hissed to Lin. "Go finish doing the big tub. Remember your punishment."

Lin didn't say anything as she ran out of the office, sobbing, and took the elevator down. On the contrary, she did not know if it was better for her to stay in that stinky, dirty, dusty, _disgusting _prison cell or was she better off overworking herself in intolerable conditions. Well, what's the good crying over what has been done?

All the while Lin was scrubbing the big tub, she kept thinking about Chihiro. She knew that if Chihiro returned to the bathhouse, Yubaba would notice immediately and her presence would be reported to the Dark Spirit. The fact that Yubaba worked for the Dark Spirit was a shock to Lin; she knew the witch to be horrid, but she did not expect _this _from her! Yes, the Dark Spirit did threaten Bo's life; but was there really nothing Yubaba could do about it but bend to the Dark Spirit's will? Hardly.

By the time it was evening and Lin was carrying Kamaji's food, she felt exhausted. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, bruises covered her arms from the heavy work, and her skin was just too pale.

"Lin! Are you all right?" Kamaji gasped when he saw her. "What happened?"

"Kamaji," Lin whispered, handing him the bowl of rice and dumping the crackers to the very hungry soot balls.

"What happened?" Kamaji repeated fiercly.

Lin felt her heart tighten in her chest, and soon, she was sobbing out all her worries to the boiler man. Kamaji listened patiently while mixing a concoction out of healing herbs. By the time Lin finished telling what happened to her, her hands were shaking from the unsteady nerves and her breathing came out in gasps.

"There, there," Kamaji soothed, handing Lin the herbal drink. "Drink this."

"Th-thank you," Lin stammered and gulped down the concoction, cringing at the unpleasant taste. "It's not me I'm worried about, Kamaji. Chihiro is in life threatening danger! With Yubaba alert and all, she'll know that Chihiro's back the moment she steps here ... and then ..."

"We'll do something," Kamaji interrupted.

"No. _I _will do something. If you stop doing your work or whatever, Yubaba will notice this immediately and she'll know I told you and she'll kill you." Lin paused. "Kamaji, do you think I can leave unnoticed during the day?"

Kamaji frowned at the soot balls. "Get back to WORK!" he shouted. Then he turned to Lin. "Maybe," he said. "I can give you train tickets."

"Thank you."

Kamaji looked at Lin, worried. "But what about you?" he demanded. "Zeniba's a long way from here. You will get there by evening, and Yubaba will notice your disappearance."

Lin covered her face with her hands. "What _can _I do?" she wailed. "Kamaji, I have no choice! Chihiro can _die _if she comes back here, and I will never forgive myself for being such a coward; not going to tell her because I was afraid for my own self."

Kamaji shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

Lin stood up with a weary sigh. "I have to go now. If anybody asks you anything about this, say that you don't know."

Kamaji felt his eyes brim with tears. "Take care of yourself."

Lin smiled sadly. "I will. Bye, Kamaji."

"Bye, Lin."

* * *

It was day-time. The weather, despite it being the very peak of noon, was cold and a chilly wind wrapped the bathhouse. Yubaba had Lin attend to a stink spirit the night before; and, as if that wasn't enough, she ordered Lin to be cleaning the bathhouse and to finish it by dusk.

"If you don't," Yubaba have told her, "you know what will happen."

And that is why Lin was scrubbing the big tub, awake and alert, when she should be resting from the night's tough events. "Just a little more," she reminded herself and scrubbed the last of the remaining sludge.

Lin climbed to stand at the edge of the tub and adored her handiwork. She looked up towards the women dorms and an image of herself, sound asleep, immediately popped into her mind.

"No, this is my chance."

Carefully, so not to wake anybody, Lin went to the boiler room. Kamaji was sound asleep on his pedestal, snoring loudly. The soot balls looked at Lin questioningly. Lin looked at them blankly in reply and walked quickly to the back door. Her hands shook from her unsteady nerves as she placed one on the door knob and, twisting it, opened the door and ran up the stairs.

The gardens looked bare and incomplete without the green grass and leaves as a cold wind swept over the dry earth. "It will be snowing soon at such rate!" she thought out loud and went to the back of the bathhouse. Angry ripples covered the sea's surface, as oceans and seas always did in autumn and early winter. The water was icy cold, stinging Lin's bare feet. But she ignored it and ran along the train tracks. Lin knew the consequences of her actions, and it trembled her to think about it.

Lin could not tell how long she's been walking - it could have been five minutes, ten minutes, whatever. But as she the bathhouse shrinked behind her running figure, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. "Lin!"

Lin turned around hastily, breathing in a sigh of relief. "It's only you, Haku."

Haku frowned and walked over to her. "What are you doing here? Do you need a ride?" It was then that he saw the state Lin was in. She was dangerously thin with dark circles around her eyes, bruises covering her skin. "What happened to you?!"

"Listen to me, Haku. Yubaba is working for the Dark Spirit! The Dark Spirit sensed that Chihiro's been in the bathhouse, and ordered Yubaba to find her and kill her. Don't bring her back here!"

Haku nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Lin. What happened to you?"

"Yubaba has been demanding where Chihiro was, and I didn't tell."

Haku pressed his lips together. "Zeniba gave me to this; but I think you better have it," he said, and handed her a bottle of lavender colored liquid.

"What's this?"

"It will give you back your strength," Haku explained. "Just don't drink all of it at once."

Lin grasped the bottle, looking at it as if it was made of gold. "Thank you ... really."

Haku knew that when Lin used such a gentle tone with anybody other than a costumer, she really meant it. Nobody could blame Lin, of course, for being cross so often. She was a victim of Yubaba's theft; all what she knew was hard work and fear of Yubaba getting displeased with her.

"You're welcome. Now go!" Haku looked at the bathhouse. "It is not far off. You should be able to get back with plenty of time to spare."

Lin nodded, hiding the bottle in one of her pockets. "You'll send Chihiro back to the Human World?"

Haku nodded sadly. "It's just too dangerous for her to stay."

Lin looked down sadly, wiping the offending tears from her eyes. Haku sighed, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I promise you, that I'll do everything in my power to defeat the Dark Spirit so she'll be able to come back here again."

Lin looked up sharply. "You know the beast is unconquerable. The best the _Lord _could do was imprison it!"

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't try."

Lin sighed heavily. "That's not what I meant, _and _you know it."

"Go now," Haku said, pushing Lin slightly towards the bathhouse. "I'll come to sort things out with you as soon as I can."

Lin was surprised that Haku cared; but again, kindness was a quality Haku always possessed; even when he was Yubaba's henchman. Because nobody saw it didn't mean he didn't have it.

"Thanks, Haku. I'll go now," Lin said, and with one last, sad smile, ran back to the bathhouse.

* * *

It was the day Chihiro was supposed to return back to the bathhouse. Zeniba was strangely silent as she packed Chihiro's belongings into a thin paper bag.

"Granny, I'll come back soon to visit you," Chihiro assured the kind witch, patting her arm.

Zeniba looked at Chihiro. "Promise me one thing, dear," she murmured, grasping the girl's hands.

"Okay ...?"

"No matter what happens," Zeniba said sternly, "you won't do anything to risk yourself."

Chihiro felt her heart tighten inside her chest uncomfortably. "All right," she whispered in reply, though something told her that she'll end up breaking that promise.

Zeniba sighed happily, dropping Chihiro's hands. "Dear -"

The door sprang open with a loud, shrill bang; making Chihiro jump in surprise. "Haku, what's the matter?!" she cried.

Haku sat down at the table with a weary sigh and hastily explained the situation. Chihiro was confused, and looked at Zeniba to Haku many times hoping that somebody will explain it to her. Zeniba paled, and her old hands shook slightly from her unsteady nerves.

"Chihiro, you need to go back to the Human World," Zeniba said gently when Haku finished talking.

"But will Lin be all right?!" Chihiro exclaimed, worried for her friend. "What if Yubaba hurts her?"

"Lin will be just fine," Haku assured, patting Chihiro's hand. "I gave her some drink that will give her back some strength, if anything happens. I also promised Lin to see to it that she'll be okay once you leave."

"But ... I can't go!" Chihiro yanked her arm away from Haku. "What about you, and Granny, and everybody else? How can I leave you in such a critical situation!?"

"Dear, it will be better if you go," Zeniba said gently. "If you do go, we will be able to fight off the Dark Spirit without worrying about your safety. Besides, your parents are waiting for you."

"But a moth didn't pass already ... did it?" Chihiro whispered.

"No," Haku admitted. He sighed. "Please understand."

Chihiro looked down at her feet. She _did _understand what her friends were trying to to tell her. "There's ... nothing I can do to help?" she whispered, already knowing the answer awaiting her.

"Dear, your safety will help us," Zeniba pointed out and No-Face grunted in agreement.

Chihiro sighed and reluctantly, nodded. "I understand," she said slowly.

Zeniba hugged the girl tightly for a moment. "Don't worry, Chihiro. You'll be all right!"

"But what about you?" Chihiro croaked dryly, her voice muffled by Zeniba's dress. "All of you."

"Don't you worry about us, dear," Zeniba said as she brushed a few strands of hair from Chihiro's face. "We'll be fine."

Something made Chihiro doubt Zeniba. There seemed to be a pang of sadness in her voice; and everybody in the room, for that matter, seemed heart-broken. Chihiro hugged No-Face and Zeniba one more time and, throwing the black cloak over her shoulders, climbed on top of Haku's back and the two flew away. Chihiro turned her head so she could get one last look and saw Zeniba and No-Face waving sadly to her.

For some reason, this felt like the goodbye. Though nobody said it was.

The two arrived at the border early the next morning. The hot sun did little good to the cold earth. The trees were bare; the bathhouse's garden seemed lonely and sad without its green bushes. The only thing uneffected by the cold weather was the field; the grass as green and firm as it always been.

"Chihiro," Haku whispered, and took her hands lovingly in his. "I just wanted to apologize that everything turned out this way. Nobody could have foreseen the Dark Spirit escaping the Abyss. Nobody ever escaped the Abyss before. I wanted to give you a wonderful month here with everybody. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to defeat the beast so you can come back."

Haku lowered his eyes to the ground, and Chihiro saw that they were brimming with tears. "What is it, Haku?" she asked.

"Only, I don't know if I'll ever see you again," he said sadly, looking up.

"What -"

Haku brought his finger to his lips, as if silencing her. He hugged her tightly for a moment, kissed her hand, and pushed her gently towards the tunnel. Haku watched until Chihiro stepped into the tunnel and the darkness seemed to swallow her whole. She never turned back, for Haku's words from eight years ago rang in her mind:

"Go, and don't look back."

* * *

Chihiro walked cautiously down the dark tunnel, images of her beloved friends racing in her mind. Clear tears stood in her eyes, and she could feel her heart beat at a dangerously fast pace.

How could it turn out this way, she thought sadly. Just when I thought I'd get to see everybody again! I did, but it was just _too _fast. I couldn't even thank Lin for saving me, or tell her and Kamaji goodbye.

Chihiro walked through the dusty room with stained glasses and high-arched roofs, and now, was nearing the entrance to the Human World. She could practically smell the gasoline, practically test the warm forest air. But this made Chihiro nauseous, for she didn't want to return back home. She wanted to go back to the Spirit Realm! But how could she do that? The Dark Spirit wanted her dead.

Chihiro froze in her tracks, her eyes nearly popping out of her sockets. W-why does the beast want _me _- an average, weak human - dead? she thought. Chihiro placed her palm over her heart, nearly feeling each anxious beat it took.

How foolish I was, not to ask why the Dark Spirit wanted me dead when I had the chance! she thought, aghast. Surely, Haku knew. I remember how recently every time I walked into Granny's living room, she would stop talking as if she didn't want me to hear what she was talking about. And how they would never answer me when I asked if there was anything I could do to help!

Chihiro walked towards the entrance and outstretched her hand until the sun shine hit her palm. "Mommy, daddy," she whispered, "please forgive me. Please, wait for me just a little bit longer! I know Granny and Haku were hiding something from me, something that I should know. I must go back and find out what it is, and if I can help. I promise you that I'll come back to you immediately as soon as I find out. Just, _please, _wait a little bit longer for me."

With that, Chihiro spun on her heel and ran back towards the Spirit Realm; unaware of the danger of death awaiting her.

**I'd like to take this moment to dedicate this chapter to my mother. Thank you, mom, for all the ideas, encouragement, and help you provided me! You're the best! :)  
My huge thanks to my dear readers who were so patiently waiting for the update. Thank you to everybody who left me a review for the next last chapters, and also thank you to my newest reviewer, AAS97! :)  
No guarantees when I'll update next, but I'll try to do it this week. In the meanwhile, leave me a review and tell me what you think! I LOVE hearing from you all! Till next update!**


	9. Chapter 9

A thin layer of frost covered the ground. The sun, still high in the sky, worked in vain to warm the chilly earth. Chihiro regretted her decision not to take her father's warm coat with her the moment she stepped out of the tunnel. She shivered from the cold wind, wrapping the cloak more tightly around her shoulders. The girl looked at the magnificent bathhouse, rising like a sky-scraper among all the other one-story restaurants, and a thought struck her that made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Wait - how am I to get to Granny's? I don't have any train tickets with me. How _stupid_ I was, not to take them when Kamaji offered them to me! What will I do now?"

No train tickets was not the only problem Chihiro faced. She was hungry and tired and on top of that, began to feel under the weather _already_ and would undoubtedly catch a cold soon if she continued to stand out in the open.

"Perhaps," she wondered, "I have enough money in my purse to get myself something to eat, or a better cloak. This one is just useless against _this_ cold."

Chihiro opened her purse, praying to find at least something useful in there that might buy her something. Imagine her surprise when she found there, inside her purse, carefully tucked away Kamaji's train tickets! Chihiro picked up the tickets with delicate fingers, staring at them in disbelief. But how did they get here, she thought. It was then that the girl remembered her brief bye-bye to Lin and Kamaji before she left for Zeniba's.

_Lin withdrew her hand from Chihiro's slightly open purse, smiling faintly to herself. "Who knows?" she murmured quietly. "You just might need it."_

_Chihiro arched her eyebrows at the statement. "Need what, Lin?" she have inquired._

_Lin merely shrugged. "You'll find out later," she have replied._

"So THAT is what Lin meant!" Chihiro cried happily as she pressed the tickets against her shirt. "Thank you so much, Lin. You saved me ... again."

With new hope in her heart and courage pulsing her body, Chihiro ran down the narrow streets and didn't stop to regain her breath until she came to the train station. She placed her palms on her knees, breathed in and out heavily, feeling beads of sweat form on her forehead.

The train zipped across the icy water and stopped shortly at its station. The doors opened and a shadow spirit outstretched his hand. Chihiro tore out one ticket from the four and dropped it into the spirit's palm. With a small smile, the spirit grinded the ticket and dropped the remains into a purse and stepped aside, gesturing for Chihiro to come in. "Thank you," she murmured and boarded the train.

Chihiro was so happy to be on that train that she completely forgot about her hunger. She simply wrapped the cloak more tightly around herself and sat down on the bench, her face soft and thoughtful as she stared out the window. Chihiro could make out faint roars and growls, that, she guessed, were made by the monsters that escaped the Abyss. The train, as Chihiro saw, was basically completely deserted of passengers.

I will come, Granny, the girl thought as she stared out the window. I have a feeling something huge is awaiting me; and whatever it is, I will embrace it with open arms.

* * *

A totally different chain of events were happening at the Imperial Palace. The Lady looked pale and tired from lack of sleep. She stood up from her golden throne and beckoned Haku to follow her. "Come," she murmured. "There's something I want to show you."

"Yes, my Lady," Haku murmured in reply and obediently followed her down the halls. The Lady descended a set of stairs and came to the very bottom floor. Spider webs were in the wall's corners; thick layers of dust covered the tables, the untouched candle sticks, and the portraits hanging on the walls. The hallway was dark and empty. The Lady grabbed a torch and came to a large, wooden door. She looked around and when she saw that nobody was in sight, pushed the door open.

A room was displayed before the two. It wasn't furnished at all, but undoubtedly unique and magnificent. Armor made of gold and shields with jewels hung on the metal. The Lady grasped Haku gingerly by the hand and led him down the room, pointing at the glorious armor. "This all belonged to the Lord," she said.

Haku stared, jaw-dropped, as the Lady opened one box besides a set of the Lord's golden armor and took out a magnificent sword. The sword was the most beautiful thing Haku saw; its handle was made of ivory, adorned with sparkling rubies and emeralds. The sword's blade looked better than any new one, made out of fine, polished metal that somehow translated the sun's light into a rainbow; like water did. The Lady gazed lovingly at the weapon and handed it to Haku carefully.

"This was the Lord's finest sword," she said. "Our son was supposed to have it, but he was killed when he was just a baby. Pierce a bad spirit with this sword, and that spirit will be turned to stone."

"My Lady, you trust me with such a valuable weapon?" Haku stammered, his eyes sparkling like the emeralds at the sword's handle.

The Lady covered her face with her hands in grief. "Yes," she murmured, slowly taking her hands off her face. "Our son ... was supposed to have it." The Lady gave out a heart wrenching sob as she placed her hand over her chest. "But our innocent son was killed when he was just a tiny baby; and now, I have no one else to give it to. You might as well have it."

Haku held the sword gingerly in his hands, gazing at it lovingly. "Thank you..."

The Lady looked from the sword to the young general and choked back another sob. "Tell me, Haku, do you have any ideas on how to defeat the Dark Spirit?" she asked slowly. "The sword can turn any bad spirit into stone, with the exception of the Monster. As you know, only a human can kill it."

Haku tore his eyes off the sword's shiny blade and looked up at the Lady. "Yes," he replied. "I think we should take away the weapons it uses, first."

"That's very smart, but what weapons does it use?"

"I don't know about all of them, but I know one that the Dark Spirit uses very well: Yubaba."

"Yubaba!" the Lady echoed, taking in a sharp, short breath of surprise.

Haku nodded slowly. "I found out recently and quite by accident, my Lady. Yubaba does every will of the Dark Spirit; she's its person in this world."

The Lady paled from anger. "Very well," she muttered through clenched teeth. "We must get to the bottom of this immediately. Yubaba is a powerful witch, and we cannot afford her being on the Dark Spirit's side. I will send out an invitation to Yubaba to come to the Palace immediately. I will talk with her when she comes. If she does not agree to stop working for the Dark Spirit, I will give you the signal and you'll kill her with this." The Lady placed her finger on the sword's blade and gave a slight nod of agreement to herself.

Haku, inwardly, didn't want to kill Yubaba. But he simply gave a nod of obedience and they left.

The Lady ascended the stairs to the throne room and, taking a blank piece of paper, wrote down an invitation. "She should come here when it turns dusk," the Lady said, throwing the invitation over the open window. The wind picked up and, taking the invitation, blew it far until it was out of sight.

Time crawled at a snail's speed from that moment onward. Neither the Lady nor Haku could get any rest as they watched breathlessly for the day to leave and for Yubaba to arrive. But when the day did leave, the witch appeared at the Palace's doorstep and the long wait was finally over. "You called for me?" she asked, staring the Lady boldly on the eye.

The Lady stared fiercely at Yubaba back. Her brow was creased into an angry frown as she spoke, "Yubaba, it was revealed to me today that you are serving the Dark Spirit. Now is the most critical time the Spirit Realm ever knew for a thousand years - the upcoming battle with the Dark Spirit will decide our fates forever. Since all of us are suffering from the Beast, I offer you to stop serving it. However, if you disagree, you leave me but with no choice to kill you."

"I won't stop serving the Dark Spirit," Yubaba replied, firmly. "It is more powerful than you."

The Lady rose slowly from her throne. "I ask you to reconsider your choice," she hissed at the witch. "Remember the consequences for refusal."

"I am not changing my mind."

The Lady pressed her lips firmly together. Her face was stony, but in the depths of her azure eyes swelled heart wrenching sorrow. "Now, Haku!" she cried. Haku walked over to Yubaba, raising the sword to strike.

"Go ahead, kill me!" Yubaba jeered. "Then you will never know where your son is."

Upon hearing this, the Lady paled and had to grasp the throne to keep herself from falling. "Stop, Haku!" she yelled, and Haku lowered his sword with a puzzled expression. Taking in a deep breath, she turned to Yubaba.

"My son is dead; there is nothing new you can tell me about him. Why do you even bring this subject up?"

Yubaba shook her head. "No, your son isn't dead. I can bring him to you, but only if you first give me your word that you won't kill me."

The Lady snickered, shaking her head slightly to herself. "There's just one thing I don't get. Is your life of an old witch that important to you?"

Yubaba's eyes seemed to swell with heart-breaking sorrow. "No," she murmured. "I want to live because I have a son."

"A son?" The Lady took a step forward, frowning. "You have a son? Where?"

"My son is none of your business!" Yubaba snapped angrily. "It is your son you want to know about, not mine."

Haku looked from Yubaba to the Lady in bewilderment. "Don't trust her, my Lady," he advised. "I have been Yubaba's apprentice. I know her. She will trick you somehow, and get away with her life."

Yubaba's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets and for a moment, her face held a warning note of honest outrage. "Shut up, Haku!" she hollered. "You don't know what a mother's heart is, and how desperate it is to save her baby! This is the Lady's choice; don't you dare affect her!"

The Lady looked at Yubaba sternly. A huge decision was in front of her: spare the witch and get her son, or spare her kingdom and never know her only child. There was, of course, also the question of Yubaba's honesty. After a moment, she replied: "I simply cannot trust a person like you. You can point to any man in my kingdom and claim he is my son."

Yubaba snickered, crossing her arms. "All right. For you two not to think that I am casting a spell or doing some trickery, I'll let you see for yourself that he is your son. Like a mother, do you know anything about your son that nobody else knows? Like a birthmark."

The Lady arched her eyebrows. "Yes, of course I know."

Yubaba clapped her hands gleefully. "Excellent! So, I will show you where your son is; and you will see for yourself that he is indeed your son if he has that birthmark, or not. I don't know your son's birthmark."

"I wouldn't tell you."

"And you don't have to. All of this is under the condition - of course - that you give me your word that you will not kill me. So, do we have a deal?"

The Lady lowered her eyes to the ground, hiding a wistful frown. The sorrow and heart-break of believing that her beloved child was dead for a thousand years returned to her, and soon her eyes were brimming with stinging tears. The Lady blinked away those tears and looked up at the witch before her.

"I made my decision!" The Lady turned to acknowledge the young general. "I'm sorry, Haku. I know that I am hurting you by this, but ... I have to know where my son is."

Haku sighed faintly. "It is up to you, my Lady."

The Lady turned to Yubaba. "Very well. I agree. When do we leave?"

Yubaba resisted the urge to snicker. "We aren't leaving," she said calmly. "Your son is right here."

The Lady stared. _"What?"_

Wordlessly, Yubaba took Haku's hand and led him to the Lady. "This, my Lady, is your son." Then, the witch turned to Haku, grinning evilly. "Yes, my dear boy, she is your mother! And yes, it was I who stole you from the Palace a thousand years ago. I had orders to kill you, but I chose to disobey and spare your life."

The witch turned to the Lady, who was as pale as a ghost. "I hope now, my Lady, that not only in gratitude of saving your son's life but also in bringing him back to you that you will simply leave me be."

"Can you be ... my dear boy?" the Lady stammered, outstretching two trembling hands to Haku. Haku felt his own eyes sting with hot tears and stepped back, shaking his head stubbornly.

"No!" he cried. "You cannot be my mother. It is impossible!"

"Please, give us a moment of privacy," the Lady told Yubaba sternly and ignoring Haku's remark, led him to the open window. Carefully, the Lady took Haku's hair in her hand and saw that behind his left ear was a birthmark the shape of a crown.

The Lady dropped the hair as if it stung her. "My son!" she cried, her eyes brimming with salty, joyous tears. "My son, it _is _you!"

Haku stared. "M-my Lady, how can you b-be so sure? What is there?" he inquired.

"The birthmark is there!" The Lady clasped her hands together, as if in prayer, and rose her eyes to meet the ceiling. "It is passed down from generation to generation in the royal family, but only to male descendants."

The Lady outstretched her arms towards him and embraced Haku gently, letting all those emotions during the past millennium spill into those tears. Haku did the same, sniffing faintly against the Lady's silk robes. "Mother ..." he murmured. Mother. That word was so alien to him; he never said it before. "Mother!" Haku repeated, joyfully, and embraced the one person in the world besides his dear human friend he knew that cared for him.

The Lady pulled back and wiped her wet eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Though I shall kill you for stealing my only child from me," she said sternly, "I gave you my word that I won't; so I give you your life. But answer me this question - why do you work for the Dark Spirit?"

Yubaba waved her hand aimlessly. The reunion between the mother and son after a thousand years obviously haven't touched her heart in the slightest. "How can you ask me that question?" she croaked. "You never knew any hardships in your life. All that you knew were luxuries, parties, comfort. You never underwent betrayal and heart-break; you never had to think how to hide, protect, feed, raise your child. You will never understand."

The Lady's gentle face turned so glassy and angry that Haku wanted to step away. "How dare you use that tone on me!" she hissed.

"Forget for a minute that you're the queen. I'm a spirit, you're a spirit. We're equal, regardless of status."

The Lady frowned thoughtfully. "Such a critical time is on now! I'm trying to protect my subjects, including you. Why are you working for the sworn enemy of our Realm?"

Yubaba burst into peals of mocking laughter. "What can you do against the Dark Spirit?" she demanded. "The Lord himself died in simply imprisoning it! You could never protect me from the Monster, and not my son, either -!"

"Your son!" the Lady interrupted, realization dawning on her face. "So that is why you work for the Monster - because of your son?"

Yubaba's mocking laughter turned into bitter cries. "Yes, that's why - the cursed devil! It told me that it would kill my son, my only child, all that I have left if I don't work for it! That is why I'm here, doing tasks that disgust even me; because if I don't, it will kill my little Bo."

"Don't you understand that you aren't saving your Bo by working for it?" the Lady cried. "The Dark Spirit can kill your son whenever it wants to, and there is nothing you will be able to do to stop it. Instead, why don't we unite our powers together to defeat the Monster and saving not just the life of your child, but countless others as well?"

Yubaba sniffed gently. "No," she replied sternly. "You, frankly speaking, understand that we don't stand a chance against that cursed devil. And I'm not risking the life of my son."

The Lady's face turned stony and glassy. "As I promised, I won't kill you; but, if during the war you will be under danger of death from my side, I won't save you."

You could tell that Yubaba took the Lady's warning as an insult by the way her face hardened. "I understand that," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Your promise consisted of not killing me _now, _not _some time after." _

"Very well, then," the Lady said calmly, completely unaffected by Yubaba's cold tone. "You may leave."

Yubaba bowed her head slightly. I do have a feeling that this isn't the goodbye, she thought to herself as she wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and, turning into a bird, flew away.

**I would like to take this moment to thank my dear reviewers. Reviews is the biggest support I can get from you guys; encouragement and all of those kind words really keep me going. Here are the people who reviewed my story so far: OtakuFanGirl001, AAS97, AlyonaKK1, Chelsie the Vampire Adventurer, HazelGamerKat, NarutoSwagg99, dulce, bookmaniac, and Ariel!**

Also thanks to everybody who put my story on their favorites/follow lists, and of course everybody who read my story. I check everyday to see how many views/visitors I got.

I will update later this week or some time next week. I want to take a few days to organize all of my thoughts and write a really good chapter. In the meanwhile, read and leave me a review to tell me what you think! :) 'Till next update!  



	10. Chapter 10

Yubaba flew as fast as she could. She wanted to get away from that Imperial Palace as soon as possible. Ugh! The very thought of it made the old witch's heart beat twice as fast inside her chest. "I can't believe I got out of this _alive," _she muttered sourly under her breath, looking to the right and left of her frantically.

"Not so fast there, witch," an eerie voice spoke. Yubaba just flapped her wings but didn't go anywhere as she slowly turned around to face _it. _

"So you went to the Lady's, hmm?" murmured the Dark Spirit calmly. Too calmly for Yubaba's taste. What was that idiom again? Oh, right. The calm before the storm. The mere thought of the upcoming "storm" made Yubaba tremble with fear.

"It were orders," the witch croaked out meekly, not daring to make eye contact with the Dark Spirit.

"Orders," the Dark Spirit repeated, a ring of sarcasm ringing in its voice. "I believe I made it quite clear to you that you are to obey nobody's orders but mine."

"I couldn't ignore this!" Yubaba wailed hopelessly, wracking her brains for a plausible explanation that would satisfy the creature. "It was an invitation to the Imperial Palace! It didn't say the reason!"

"No excuses from you," the Dark Spirit snapped. "You went there, you'll pay for it. Follow me, if you want your baby unharmed."

Yubaba gulped and nodded hastily, though her pride burned with insult. She never cowered in front of anybody in her entire life before. The thought that Zeniba (her sister which she simply _hated_) would never bend down to somebody as evil as this creature hurt Yubaba's pride even more. Yet, she was simply too afraid for her baby. Deep, deep inside, Yubaba knew that this whole mess was her fault and entirely her fault.

But she would never admit that.

Yubaba followed the Dark Spirit inside a dark, dripping cave. Once landed, both of the spirits turned into their natural forms. "Now tell me more about the Lady and her plans. Valuable news, mind you."

"W-war," came the reply.

"War?!"

"Yes," Yubaba nodded. "War. She is preparing for a war."

The Dark Spirit regarded the witch with its red, beady eyes as if trying to burn a hole in her head. "When?"

"I don't know ... honestly," Yubaba whispered.

"Anything else you can tell me?" it demanded.

Yubaba shook her head dryly. If there was one thing she couldn't afford, it was for the Dark Spirit to find out that the Lady's son was alive. There was never a worst punishment for a mother than to see her child being hurt; and the Dark Spirit knew it just too well. And surely, Yubaba would get that "worst punishment" not just for disobeying such an important order but also for keeping it a secret for a thousand years.

"Go back to your bathhouse," the Dark Spirit ordered, waving a hand carelessly.

Yubaba bowed her head slightly, backing off cautiously. "A-all right," she stammered. The idea that the great Yubaba would ever bend down to _anyone's _will was absurd; but here she was, not the fearsome, horrid witch that everybody knew her by. She looked more like a frightened, helpless child in the Dark Spirit's presence. Yubaba dashed out of the cave all too eagerly, disappearing in the dark sky that was breaking with the first signs of dawn.

"That stupid, weak woman! Does she really think she can defeat me?" the Dark Spirit stuttered. A wicked smile came to its face, and it roared with laughter as desire for battle swelled inside of him. "If a war is what she wants ... a war is _exactly _what she'll get."

* * *

Chihiro was soaring through a blue sky, looking down on the sea and a train zipping through it with awe. Her parents were at her sides, clasping her hands warmly, smiling joyfully at their daughter. Chihiro looked up and saw that her parents were ... quite young. A little more inspection and the girl realized that her parents looked exactly like they did eight years ago, when her first encounter with the Spirit World happened.

That moment seemed so perfect. Joy bubbled inside Chihiro's chest until she was forced to laugh it out. Mr. and Mrs. Ogino began to laugh along, making Chihiro smile so big that her cheeks hurt. That moment seemed so ... perfect. The idea that Chihiro lived in the Spirit Realm with her parents and friends seemed so ... _right. _Really, it was the only thing Chihiro wanted. She didn't want this moment to end as her parents enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Miss ... miss!"

"Mommy, daddy ... don't leave me," Chihiro whispered. She felt as if being pulled out of this wonderful fantasy as that strange voice called her.

"We'll never leave you, dear," Mrs. Ogino soothed as she kissed the girl's forehead.

"Daddy's here," Mr. Ogino added, tightening his hold.

"Miss ... miss!"

Chihiro frowned, trying to block out that annoying voice. Who _dares _try to interrupt the haven of this moment?

"Miss!" the voice repeated, more impatient and demanding. Chihiro did her best to block it out and to concentrate on the bright smiles of her parents, the cool air, the warm embrace ... anything!

"MISS!"

Chihiro woke up with a gasp. Where was she? Where was her mom ... her dad? Chihiro looked around and recognized that she was inside the train.

Her happy parents by her side ... it was all a dream. Chihiro blinked sleepily at the train worker in front of her.

"Miss, your stop!" the worker cried.

Chihiro felt her eyes brim with hot tears. "Y-yes, th-thank you for waking me," she murmured, casting her eyes downcast so the worker wouldn't see her cry. The wonder she just experienced was a dream, a mere dream made by her imagination. Nothing more.

"Of course," the train worker said with a smile, stepping aside. Chihiro left the train hastily and watched it leave, a bit wistfully, until it appeared as a mere black speck in the distance.

She shuddered for the umpteenth time as she wrapped her cloak more tightly around her shoulders, trying to mentally block out the seeping cold. If it was useless _before, _then it was like wearing a shirt in the snow and hoped that it somehow would keep you warm. The cloak wasn't bad; it was just too cold.

"Better hurry," Chihiro thought out loud to herself and jogged down the path. By the time she arrived at Zeniba's cottage, her lips were blue and she was shivering uncontrollably from the unpleasant weather. Chihiro ran her hands over her arms in hopes of preserving her body heat as she walked up to the cozy cottage.

What if it isn't safe to enter, she mused. With those monsters on the loose - suppose if they have plans of invading houses?

So Chihiro decided to make sure that it was safe to enter before walking in. She knelt by the open window and listened for anything suspicious.

"Whatever happens, No-Face, we must be strong," Zeniba told the shadow spirit sympathetically with a sad smile. "It is just the way things are. It's fate."

No-Face sighed and a moment of uneasy silence followed before Zeniba spoke up again.

"Frankly speaking, No-Face, you know that all of us are going to die."

Chihiro gasped, her face draining of all color.

"Anybody who doesn't go over to the Dark Spirit's side will be killed," the kind witch continued. "The Abyss served as a temporarily prison for that devil; but now, it will be as useless as everything else since the Dark Spirit knows how to escape it. There's no spirit in the land that can defeat it. Only a human can kill it; and that human will die himself. And which human will give up his life for a world that isn't even his? Nobody cares for us."

No-Face grunted in disagreement, cocking his head to his side as if he didn't believe Zeniba.

"Chihiro? What about her?" Zeniba snapped. "It isn't her problem and she shouldn't give up her youthful life for somebody who are hundreds - if not thousands - of years older than her. My granddaughter can do whatever she pleases in her world, but not here. Have you forgotten that the human who kills the Dark Spirit will die?" The last sentence came out as a warning hiss.

No-Face shook his head furiously, grunting loudly. Zeniba sighed, clasping her hands together.

"I'm sorry, No-Face. I know that you didn't mean for Chihiro to die for us. Of course you meant that somebody does care for us. Now, how about some tea?" Zeniba rose from her seat and walked gracefully to the kitchen, putting the kettle to boil.

Chihiro heard every word spoken. Her palm was pressed tightly against her lips to prevent herself from sobbing and getting herself discovered. Tears streamed down her face. _"Frankly speaking, No-Face, you know that all of us are going to die." _Those words hunted Chihiro like a disease that gripped her fragile heart and wouldn't let go.

Angry storm clouds covered the blueness of the sky and rain began to pour. Chihiro yelped, throwing the cloak over her head as she pressed herself against the wall. All thoughts of pneumonia and getting sick from the rain fled the young girl's mind as she stared blankly ahead, her hands balled into fists.

Everything fell together and made perfect sense. It was oddly similar to a jigsaw puzzle; the pieces by themselves would confuse you, since they represented only a tiny fraction of the actual picture. But once put together, you would look down and say, "Of course! Now everything makes sense."

Chihiro understood everything as all the events fell together and made the entire situation clear to her; indeed, like a jigsaw puzzle. She understood why the Dark Spirit - that power thirsty beast - wanted to kill her. She understood why Haku and Zeniba avoided answering her question, "is there anything I can do to help" and she most most certainly understood why Haku acted so ... so _sadly_ before she left.

But most of all, Chihiro understood what she was going to do next. Casting a secret glance towards Zeniba and No-Face (who were completely oblivious to her arrival), Chihiro ran over to the train station and waited for a train to come. Eventually, one appeared and stopped for the girl. "Excuse me, but I need to go to the Imperial Palace. Will your train take me there?" Chihiro inquired of a shadow spirit, who was working on the train. The worker nodded and outstretched a demanding hand. Chihiro handed over a train ticket to him and said, "will you please wake me, if I fall asleep, when we get to the Imperial Palace?"

The worker nodded.

"Thank you," Chihiro breathed. From her past experiences in this mythical world, the girl knew that by far not all spirits were friendly and generous towards her kind. The worker nodded as if to say, "just doing my job" and stepped aside as Chihiro boarded the train hastily. For a moment, she regretted not going to Zeniba's.

It was then that she remembered her dream. Chihiro sat down on a bench and, taking out her notepad and pencil from her purse, wrote down something on the paper. It read:

Dear mother and father,

I really hate to say this, but this is the goodbye! My friends are in danger of death and I ... I just couldn't leave them. Only a human could help, and I was the only human willing to do that. Basically, this help "coasted" me my life. I'm very, very sorry. I didn't want to do this. But if I didn't, Haku and everybody else would have died. I love you all very much! Please don't cry; even if you won't see me, I will always be with you.

Your daughter,

Chihiro

Chihiro knew what she was doing. The mere thought of her weeping parents made the girl cry herself. But her parents, after all, would be all right. No words can describe what a mother feels when her child is hurt; but time heals. Her parents weren't the one in life-threatening danger! Haku, Granny, Lin, Kamaji ..._they_ were, not mentioning every other spirit that had would refuse to bend down to that Dark Spirit. Chihiro knew that if she left, her conscious wouldn't give her rest as she would imagine - no, scratch that, _know _that some people very dear to her are dead and she could have prevented it; but decided to save her own life instead.

The girl had no idea what was awaiting her, and how she was to defy the most powerful force in the Spirit Realm. But whatever it is, Chihiro thought as she wiped away a tear, I will embrace it with open arms. Just like I said before.

Time seemed to crawl at a snail's speed and eventually Chihiro fell asleep. She didn't even notice that she unexpectedly went dry and that she wasn't sick after being out in the rain. The train worker glanced at Chihiro's tear-stained face pitifully before going back to his work with a wistful sigh.

**Thank you to everybody who read my last chapter, and huge thanks to "AlyonaKK1" for reviewing it! The last few days were very tiresome and busy for me; and because of that, I cannot guarantee when I will put on Chapter 11 but please wait for me. I will get to it as soon as I can. Remember, best is still to come! In the meanwhile, read and review! 'Till next update! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chihiro - as expected - fell asleep on the train. The train worker awoke her a good three hours later when they arrived at the girl's destination. Chihiro thanked the worker and left the train, mentally scolding herself for not taking her father's coat with her. It was of fine leather and had genuine fur on the inside, and would surely keep her warm during such dropping temperatures.

The train soon became a mere, black speck in the distance. Chihiro looked around herself and, when she saw that the coast was clear, quickly ran across the train tracks. The Imperial Palace stood tall and proud on a hill, reflecting the little sunshine there was, looking around its surroundings with a strong sense of dignity as if saying, "See all of that? This beauty belongs to me!"

Chihiro could only stare, jaw-dropped, at the glorious architecture. If the bathhouse was the most beautiful thing she saw, then this was enough to paralyze her legs. The spell was quickly broken, however, when a ruthless wind blew, howling eerily. Chihiro sighed heavily in objection but walked obediently to the Imperial Palace.

She came there soon enough. If Chihiro schemed any plan on how to enter the Imperial Palace; then all of her ideas abandoned her the moment she saw those marble steps a few meters away from her. The Palace and the Royal Gardens were truly a sight to behold. The thought of a greedy human's reaction to _this_ made Chihiro smirk; but that thought abandoned her as quickly as it came when she shook herself back to reality.

Suddenly, she became very aware that she wasn't alone when a conversation reached her ears. "...Not to be rude, Your Highness, but may I give you some advice?" a voice asked. Chihiro hid behind a nearby tree nervously.

"Of course," answered an all too familiar voice. For a moment, numbness struck Chihiro until she came to a point that she didn't believe her ears and thought she was dreaming. She looked cautiously and choked down a surprised gasp. A fox spirit dressed in fine clothing strode nearby, and with him was ... Haku!

"Your Highness, I think that perhaps you should have some assistant with you to train the troops. After all, you're -"

Haku frowned. "I, on the contrary, am quite confident in my skills. However, if I think I will need some assistance, I'll get some. Thank you."

The fox spirit - or the Steward - felt a pang of fright. Chihiro could tell that he regretted his words. "Uh... all right," he muttered nervously.

"I have some business to attend to. Please let my mother know where I am if she inquires."

The Steward backed off. "Good luck, Your Highness. Of course." With that, he disappeared into the Palace; wiping his sweaty brow with relief. He could sense Haku's icy anger directed towards him.

Haku watched the Steward go for a minute. All of his "business-like" attitude melted away, his eyes softening. He parted his lips as if to say something, but quickly shook his head fiercely before he uttered a word and went into the Royal Gardens, marching like a soldier until the trees covered him completely.

As for Chihiro, the whole situation hit her like a shock wave. She gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers, trying to make out of the situation. Okay, she thought, so that fox spirit called Haku "your highness." And Haku said to tell his mother if she asks where is he. That means ... the Lady is Haku's mom!

Chihiro shook her head, trying to clear the shock building up inside of her. Prince or not, I'm still going to see the Lady, she thought and dashed for the gate.

"Hey!" a voice hissed angrily in her ear and grabbing her arm, just as the girl was about to ascend the stairs. "What are you doing here?"

Chihiro decided not to tell her name, just in case Haku mentioned her. "I a-apologize," she stammered, without turning around to see who it was. "I just need to speak to the Lady. Please. It is _very_ important."

The guard scowled down at the human girl, who didn't struggle in his firm - and undoubtedly painful - grasp. "Your purpose?"

"I-it's concerning the Dark Spirit, sir."

The guard let Chihiro's arm go suddenly, as if the touch burned him. For a minute, the guard just stood there, breathing in calmly as his hands nearly shook with stress. He grabbed Chihiro roughly by the shoulders and made her face him. He inspected the girl closely, as if trying to read her mind. After what seemed to Chihiro like the longest minute in her life, the guard sniffed and said, "Stay here."

And he disappeared behind the gate.

Chihiro was left alone as she nervously looked about her, praying that Haku wouldn't just show up out of nowhere and play the Chihiro-what-are-you-doing-here-you-need-to-go-bac k-immediately role. The new knowledge that Haku was the prince (and most likely the general, too, since the Steward said something about training the troops) just served to double her stress. Hopefully the Lady wouldn't declare to Haku of the good news that a human is willing to give up their life for them; and Haku, of course, would never allow that when he found out who that "human" was.

The gate burst open and the guard appeared, panting slightly. "Please come in," he said quickly, gesturing inside. Chihiro stepped up the remaining steps and went inside the brightly lit throne room, murmuring a thanks to the guard.

"Come in, come in!" a rich, majestic woman's voice ordered. Chihiro tensed up inside and - much to her sheer dismay - found herself paralyzed; unable to move a muscle. It was then that Chihiro saw the Lady's eyes. They were large and beautiful, but incredibly sad and tears seemed to fight their way through the azure orbs. Chihiro felt her heart move with pity for the Lady. The spell broken, the girl walked down the aisle and bowed down low to the waist when she came to the foot of the throne.

"Rise," the Lady said. Chihiro obeyed, groaning inwardly at her aching bones.

"What is your name?"

Chihiro blinked, taken a bit back by the question. "Chihiro, Your Majesty," she murmured humbly.

"Chihiro." The Lady smiled politely. "Tell me what you came for."

Chihiro took a deep breath. "Your Majesty, I presume you've heard of the myth ... that only a mortal can kill the Dark Spirit?"

"Of course, child."

"Well, I'm a mortal ... a human ... and I want to kill it."

The Lady's eyes went as round as saucers. "Chihiro, don't you know that the human who kills the Dark Spirit will die himself?"

Chihiro lowered her eyes slightly as she felt bitter tears sting them. "I do know," she whispered. "I have wonderful friends here, and I can't see them die."

The Lady rose a delicate eyebrow. She was about to inquire what she - a _human _- was doing here in the first place when a startled gasp escaped her lips. The Lady felt a pang of guilt for not noticing Chihiro's condition earlier: the poor girl was shivering as goose-bumps covered her lightly tanned skin, and her stomach gave out low, protesting grumbles of hunger. "Are you hungry?"

Chihiro nodded eagerly.

"How about a bath and some food for you? Then we can talk." The Lady stood up gracefully from her throne with an inviting, reassuring smile to the stunned girl.

"Th-thank you," Chihiro murmured. The words came out as a weak stutter, but her eyes shined as if they were twinkling stars in the nighttime sky. This only caused the Lady's smile to grow bigger as she led the way for the exhausted girl.

After having a bath in a bathtub of pearls and hot dinner of seafood soup, the Lady lead Chihiro to her own room for a talk.

"Not that I don't appreciate the help you're offering," the Lady said, "but I don't understand why you would agree to give up your life for a world that isn't not only your own; but also that scorns down upon your race."

Chihiro smiled weakly. "I have friends here."

"What about your home?" the Lady asked, her suspicion growing. "Don't you have any friends or family?"

"I have wonderful parents, of course." Chihiro's eyes brimmed with tears. "I will miss them dearly. But I - I can't explain it. I have very, very, _very_ good friends here and I simply cannot see them die."

The Lady arched her eyebrows. "I see," she said calmly. "One of your kind to be here is quite extraordinary."

Chihiro resisted the urge to sigh, foreseeing a dozen more questions coming her way. "I could tell you everything from the beginning, Your Majesty, but it will take a while."

"If you don't mind."

Chihiro shook her head with a polite smile. "Not at all." She obediently told the Lady how she first got into this world - from her father taking a wrong turn in the road, suspecting it was a short cut to their new home; to tending to the disguised river spirit in the bathhouse; to visiting Zeniba in impossible hopes of saving Haku due to a curse on the gold seal that he stole; and last but not least the farewell and promise. "Just recently, Haku came back to me," Chihiro concluded. "I ended up coming back with him to the Spirit Realm, just to say hello to everybody. But since the Dark Spirit escaped the Abyss, I had to leave because, as my friends said, my life was in jeopardy here. I almost left the tunnel when I realized something I ... didn't realize before and I came back. It was then that I unintentionally overheard of the myth and I came here to see you, Your Majesty."

By the time Chihiro finished, the Lady was as stiff as a statue and pale as a ghost. "You said your friend's name is Haku?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Lady recalled Haku telling her how he got away from Yubaba's grasp; that a certain human girl saved him by remembering his name. Haku didn't tell the Lady the girl's name, though. But by the way he spoke softly of this human girl, by the way his eyes were simply a concoction of rich emotions, and by the way he smiled faintly the Lady could tell that her boy was undoubtedly in love.

So, this Chihiro is that girl? she thought, very surprised.

"Chihiro, I want you to think this through one more time. Are you really willing to give up your life in the very bloom of your youth, never to see your home or your parents again ... for us?"

Sensing the seriousness in the Lady's voice, Chihiro did give the matter some consideration. She looked down at her knees and frowned deeply. The loss of her life; no, the fact that she would never see her parents and, as the Lady put it, home again stung her. The uneasy silence became to make the Lady fear that Chihiro would change her mind. She was indeed surprised when the girl lifted her head and, smiling bravely through tears, said, "I'm certain."

The Lady exhaled a sigh of relief. This girl was their only hope!

"I'm sure you're very tired, dear. Go rest. I have some matter to attend to."

Chihiro brought her hand to her lips and yawned. "Where can I rest?"

The Lady frowned. "In my room. Nobody should come and bother you. But please, if anything happens, stay hidden. I will explain later, but you being here must temporarily be kept a secret."

Chihiro nodded. "All right. Thank you, Your Majesty."

"No, thank _you."_ The Lady walked over to the door gracefully and opened a crack in it. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"Remember, just in case anybody will try to come in, hide and don't let them see you."

Chihiro nodded but, upon seeing the Lady's eyes harden with disapproval, quickly added: "Of course, Your Majesty."

The Lady nodded softly. "I'll go now." With that, she left.

Left alone in a room of a royalty could bring its own temptations. Chihiro had to resist the want to inspect every corner of the room; to open the jewelry boxes, the wardrobes, the cabinets; to feel the soft robes and even to be daring and slip on that diamond bracelet that was lying so innocently on the night stand.

Instead, Chihiro walked over to the window and cautiously peaked out of the drapes. The window provided an excellent view of the landscape; green mountains with lush, quiet forests and in a distance a bit of the sea met her eye, and she couldn't help but sigh in content and clasp her hands together in awe.

"How beautiful..."

Chihiro didn't get to admire the beauty for long, however. A wave of dizziness hit her, making Chihiro grab on the windowsill to steady herself with one hand and touched her hand gingerly with another. Chihiro's legs trembled, as if to remind how mercilessly she used them for practically an entire day and didn't give them rest.

"Perhaps I should rest now," Chihiro thought out loud. Without thinking, she lied carefully down on the Lady's huge bed and sleep claimed her the moment her head made contact with the soft mattress.

* * *

The Lady wasn't lying when she said that she had some matter to attend to. Serious matter, she added mentally to herself. As a mother who lost her child for an entire millennium, believing he was dead and getting him back some hours ago only to soon give him up to war; she could imagine what Chihiro's parents will go through when they find out that their daughter is dead. The Lady was - besides her experience and wisdom - extremely thoughtful and kind, and decided to see if there was anything she could do to prevent the young girl's death.

The Lady came down to a staircase. Clearly abandoned by the maids, as dirt and dust covered every step in thick layers. The air seemed concentrated, as if it was full of dust and old and nobody opened the window to refresh it in years.

It is no secret that queens cannot stand anything that has thick layers of dirt and dust. The Lady gasped loudly when she heard squeaks coming from below the staircase; almost as if mice inhabited the basement. "This is worse than the dungeon," she muttered sourly under her breath and, picking up her skirt daintily so it wouldn't brush the floor, descended the stairs gracefully.

Eventually the Lady came to her destination - a dirty basement. Insects and probably even mice lived there. Give the basement a once-over and you would know, without a doubt, that nobody came here in years. Or if they did, they didn't bother to clean it.

Originally, it was the Lord's secret laboratory and library. But since his passing, the instruments and potions were safely tucked away in a cabinet and the books neatly pilled on a table near the corner. The Lady forbade anybody from entering the place or from speaking about it; secret it was and secret it would be.

Hence, explaining the basement's horrid condition.

On the look-out for anything that would make any queen go pale with terror, the Lady tip-toed cautiously to the table and took out a book from the dusty pile. She scanned through the pages; a frustrating frown making on her beautiful face when she did not find what she was looking for. With a scowl, the Lady put the book back and took another.

The same reaction followed on the second book, and the third. By the fifth book, the Lady was becoming desperate and wondered if her late husband's great library contained the information she was looking for.

"This is the last one," the Lady sighed, picking up by what was now the sixth book. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it, her blue eyes scanning the pages hurriedly. With a sigh, the Lady turned over another page and scanned the text written there. But again, she was unsuccessful and after scanning page after page she was about to give up on the book when a certain writing in the corner caught her eye. Hope refilling her heart, the Lady read and turned to the next page. Her eyes lit up. _Finally,_ she found the information!

"'The Dark Spirit - a powerful, evil creature that possesses will of ruler-ship and of wealth," the Lady read. "'His Royal Highness the Lord 82nd asked the creation of the Dark Spirit to remain a secret to all persons, regardless of status.

"'According to the Lord 82nd, there is no spiritual force that can kill the Dark Spirit and that only a human can kill it. However, that human who kills the Dark Spirit will die himself due to the power of the Yellow Gemstone. Unfortunately, there is no way to escape these grave consequences due to the Yellow Gemstone's great power and a weak, mortal body.'"

The Lady was as pale as a ghost, shutting the book close and putting it back on the table. So there is no way to save her, she thought, aghast. Willing herself to hold back those bitter tears of pity, the Lady picked up her skirt and giving the dirty basement a once-over, ascended the stairs.

There was no hope of saving Chihiro now. The Yellow Gemstone, she knew, was an extremely powerful gem that if destroyed can kill. No human body could possibly withstand it! For goodness' sake, the majority of spirits will die at the force of it! A tiny fraction would make it out alive, and most likely with injuries.

"The poor girl," the Lady sighed to herself. For a minute, she even considered the act of forbidding Chihiro to help them; to send her back to the Human World with her memories erased of this place.

"But what about my kingdom? What shall I do? My husband died for his people." The Lady stepped into the brightly lit hall and turned to a beautiful portrait of a young man and a woman, who cradling a loved infant in her arms. The Lady choked back a sob as she reached out and touched the corner of the portrait's frame gingerly, staring lovingly at the painted emerald eyes. "If only you were here," she whispered, a tear escaping her blazing azure eye and slipping down her cheek.

The Lady withdrew her hand from the portrait after a moment, forcing her gaze ahead of her. No, she thought, I _am_ the Lady. I will find out what to do.

With her head held high bravely high, the Lady strode down the hall and opened the door leading to her bedroom. She was greeted by the soft sight of Chihiro lying down, curled up in a ball at the edge of the gigantic bed, her hands clasped firmly together beneath her head. "Her humbleness shows even in her sleep," she thought and walked in. "She could have just lied down completely as if it was her own bed; but she wouldn't as much as put her head on my pillow."

The Lady always was a conscientious person and also had the ability to judge a person's character and inner world. The Lady knew, from the moment her gaze met Chihiro's soft brown eyes, that this girl had a pour soul and a pour mind. Carefully, she moved Chihiro so she was lying in the middle of the bed and covered her gently with a blanket. With that, she left for the throne room.

The Lady, like any other royalty, could mask any confusion or worry as if nothing in the world was the matter. On the outside, she looked completely confident and calm. But in reality, her head was a mess. The Lady felt that it was wrong to take a young girl's life. But it was her duty to keep her people safe. For the umpteenth time, the Lady remembered the Lord's last words: _"I trust you, love, to take care." _He trusted his whole world to his beloved wife.

And now, she was at lost.

"In this case, you have to choose: Chihiro or your people." The Lady sat down at the throne. Bittersweet memories of her life raced through her mind: how children of her distant cousins would tug shyly at her skirt, brightening up her day with their gorgeous smiles. How her late husband would always clasp her hand gingerly and reassure her that everything would be all right as long as they had each other and as long as the kingdom was fine.

It was then that the Lady made up her mind.

I'm sorry, Chihiro; I simply _have _to choose my kingdom, she thought.

**First of all, I apologize for the long wait. I have been very busy last week with studies + helping around the house, and several times I had to stay up late to write down this chapter. But thank you all for reading, writing reviews, and waiting for the update! Your support is tremendous! :) Oh, and of course, Happy Halloween to you all!**

lilit-di: Greetings to my friend from Venezuela! Thanks for your review, very glad you liked my story! How's this chapter? :)  
**OtakuFanGirl001: Thanks for the review! As usual, your feedback is VERY appreciated!  
AlyonaKK1: Aww, that's was such a nice review, thank you :) How was this chapter? Any advice you can offer me will be appreciated ...**


	12. Chapter 12

A few days have passed since Chihiro's arrival at the Imperial Palace.

Haku proved himself to be an excellent general and the Royal Army was impressive in the eyes of many.

Yet, that was the only good thing that actually happened.

The Lady received boxes of letters daily from her subjects; all of them asking for assistance on various problems caused by the Dark Spirit. The frigid weather reached such a point that the earth was fruitless and wouldn't grow anymore crops. As you can imagine, this caused a great shortage of food and the problem presented itself to the Lady as unexpectedly as a smack. The percentage of abduction grew, and eventually the troops were assigned to protect the citizens from the vicious kidnappers.

And, just to top things off, it began to snow - a factor that proved that the Dark Spirit's forces were getting stronger, if not increasing.

This afternoon in particular was frigidly cold. The Lady, with her chin in her palms and her elbows propped up in the window-sill, sighed wistfully at the area around the Imperial Palace. The breath-taking vista was replaced by barren and lifeless mountains with a thick coating of snow, that looked quite lonely without their evergreen wood companion. The bit of sea in the distance looked more gray than blue. Sighing again, the spirit queen spun on her heel and looked at the fire. It rose in miniature orange tongues from the pit weakly; looking as if the tiniest breeze could quench it. The Lady furrowed her eyebrows angrily. No wonder it was so cold! She made a circular movement with her flicked wrist and the almost-quenched fire jumped to life, burning the remains of the firewood eagerly.

"If only I could solve this disaster with a flick of my wrist," the Lady mused, smiling faintly.

The problem did have a solution, of course. Unfortunately, there was no way escaping the deadly consequences for the human girl and several times the spirit queen caught herself wishing that Chihiro never did come to her. Though it has been only a few days, the Lady found herself liking - and, in some areas, respecting - the human girl. Letting her die would be more heart breaking than the spirit queen ever thought it would be.

Of course, "heart wrenching" would be a ridiculous understatement for Chihiro's close friends and family. An image of a completely flabbergasted and heartbroken Haku popped into the Lady's mind and she hissed quietly from the bitter sting of guilt. Unexpectedly, Haku captivated her thoughts and her heart sunk.

"My dear son ... why did fate have to be so _cruel _to you?" she whispered at an inaudible level. "You were stolen from home at infancy. Suffered destruction of your river. Worked for some wicked witch, who nearly destroyed you. Then, you had to watch someone dear to you leave you for what you could be forever." The Lady stiffened. _"And_ I am planning to kill that one dear to you...!"

The Lady could feel conscious nip at the back of her mind, whispering out its warnings angrily. Guilt rising within her at a dangerously fast pace. But the other part of the Lady, the more sensible part of her, screamed for the good of the Spirit Realm. "Yes, Kohaku will be heartbroken," it agreed. "But what will be of your kingdom - including your son - if Chihiro won't kill the Dark Spirit? Will anybody be _not_ heartbroken, then?"

"Whose obligation is it to protect your kingdom? Why should Chihiro die for a world that isn't her own?" conscious protested.

The spirit queen sat there, feelings of uncertainty and lack of self-confidence blooming inside of her. She was completely torn. It was wrong, she knew, to take Chihiro's life and that would leave the girl's parents and her own son heartbroken; but at the other hand, no human killing the Dark Spirit equals the enormous sacrifice of the Spirit Realm.

If only there was another solution to the catastrophe ... if only!

"Oh darling, if only you were here. If _only_ I could speak to you," the Lady whispered as she lifted her eyes to meet the ivory-colored ceiling. She remembered the wise Lord who would, even at the toughest of times, have the strong sense of self-confidence. Who would clasp the Lady's hand and, a small smile brightening his handsome features, say that everything would be all right as long as they had each other and as long as the kingdom was fine.

It was then that the gears in the Lady's brain clicked and her face brightened up with new hope. Jumping up from her chair, she dashed out of her room and down the halls. Such an act, of course, was considered highly undignified; there was an unspoken rule you had to leave your room in proper attire, not in nightgowns. Seeing the Lady run down the halls in nightly attire, with her tear-stained face and disheveled blue mane, would undoubtedly raise inquiring eyebrows from the witnesses. Yet, she couldn't care less.

Only one thing mattered now.

The Lady didn't pause for a second to regain her breath or to wipe her eyes until she reached her destination. The unwelcoming sight of the abandoned basement in the dim light greeted her and the Lady couldn't suppress a disgusted shudder. Trying her best to ignore the filthy conditions - and a rather loud squeak that suspiciously sounded like a mouse's - she went over and picked up a large, red hardcover book titled _Catalogue_.

"If it isn't here, then I honestly don't know what to do!" she muttered, flipping through the pages.

For during his life-time, the Lord was fascinated with science. "I can sit and watch the grass grow for all eternity," he would say. His hobby was to be a scientist; he would conduct complex experiments in the privacy of his underground laboratory on numerous occasions. Therefore, the _Catalogue_ - or, rather, the record-book of the Lord's experiments - was enormous and the Lady spend an entire hour in the depths of her book with no result. Dread was consuming her and she was beginning to think that her husband never did bring the subject up when she saw, in the page's bottom right hand corner, an experiment's title that read: **Temporary Transformation From Spiritual To Human Body**.

The _Catalogue_ slipped from the Lady's slender fingers and fell to the floor with a loud, protesting thud. She just stood there, ignoring the fallen _Catalogue_ as if turned into stone, with a wide smile plastered on her face. She felt herself drown into her emotions and she felt the great urge to let them all out, one way or another; yet, the only thing she did was grin and murmur, "Now Chihiro won't have to die."

A painful fear tugged, and her brain reminded her sharply of the consequences.

The Lady picked up the _Catalogue_, tears streaming down her face. One of her hands released the book and clutched her chest. The initial overwhelming feeling of triumph and joy was replaced by one of dread. The Lady knew that she had some mere days - two weeks at the _most _- to live. She'd never get to see her kingdom replenish and her residents happy. She'd never get to see her dear son become a lord and she would, most definitely, never see her grandchildren.

The Lady had no idea how long she has been crying; it could have been twenty minutes, ten minutes, or five. But while she was crying her heartache out, the shrill sound of the clock announcing the next hour reached her ears. The spirit queen stood up sharply and, placing the _Catalogue_ on the table, ran upstairs eagerly. Despite the bittersweet feelings that stirred the tears in her eyes, she managed to smile faintly. I will be able to carry out my duty respectfully, she thought. Though I will die, I will die with honor.

**I know I didn't update in a long time and I apologize for that. As I have stated in my profile, I was very busy with things like studies. Plus, I was hit unexpectedly with writer's block that served only to slow things down for me. :( I tried hard on this chapter and I'd greatly appreciate reviews. And thank you all for your wonderful support! It just makes my day! :) I know this chapter might seem like nothing much now, but I promise a lot of action occurring in the next chapters.**

fandomnerd12: Thank you for the review! Yes, the Lady does feel guilty and _yes_ school can be a real burden sometimes. :)  
  
**AlyonaKK1: Thank you so much for your review, glad you like my story! :)**

**NarutoSwag99: Glad you liked the chapter! Surviving the odds of the Gemstone are, I don't know, like billion to one...? But I bet that there's a lot more to it than it seems! :)**


End file.
